His Path
by dglsprincess105
Summary: When Darien contemplates his worth and heiratage, he is sent to the DBZ world to find his strength,and his father. Chapter 13 is finally up! Yeah, I'm still alive!I'm also revising some chapters! Chapter 1, 2 and 3 are revised.
1. Chapter 1:Lonely and Useless revised

His Path

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor moon or DBZ.

Chapter 1: Lonely and Useless

The ice age had begun.

Darien watched the snow and wind hit earth through the mirror from the gates of time. His love, Serena, and the other sailor scouts were on earth; encased in ice. In a Millennia, Serena will break through the ice and reawaken everyone on earth with the Imperial silver crystal; She'll bring a golden age as Queen of Earth and the Universe. Together, they will rule and have their daughter, Rini. Just as Pluto predicted they would do when they had traveled in the future and had witnessed Crystal Tokyo.

What Pluto failed to mention, though, was that he would be immune to the effects because he was the guardian of earth. Apparently, when Serenity used the silver crystal to save the planet and its people, somehow his golden crystal counterattacked it and had placed a shield around his body, preventing him from being encased with ice with the other scouts. Using the time key that Pluto had given him, he stayed in the gates of time for his survival. Being in an area where time does not exist, he did not need sleep or nourishment and he was definitely not in danger of aging. However, as the years passed (four years since the last time he checked,) The loneliness was taking its toll on him.

"I'm alone again, how predictable. It seems my path in life will always be a lonely one. It's as if the gods themselves hate me. "He thought darkly for perhaps the umpteenth time. Well of course the gods hated him. What had fate ever done to him, leaving him an orphan at the age of eight with no memories, growing up with no love and almost no friends, forcing him to involuntary transform when Sailor Moon was fighting? Giving him no memory of doing any of that until later when he caught a rainbow crystal, then his powers started to regress when the scouts all came into their power?

He sat on the floor, crossing his legs and twiddled with his transformation rose between his hands. Years ago, he had given up being Tuxedo Mask. Serena and the sailor scouts no longer needed him anymore. Chaos had proven that. Serena had defeated her and gained her cosmos form without his help at all due to the fact that he had been dead for months. In fact, now that he thought about it, he had always been the weak point to the scouts in the past. First, as Beryl's brainwashed henchman; then as his best friend's, Fiore, hostage; then as a slave to Queen Nehelenia to lure Serena in for her revenge; and finally, the final insult, was when he was the first attacked by Sailor Galaxia when she first reached earth: The victim of a stolen star seed.

The scouts grew so powerful, that they all reached their eternal forms. Darien wasn't even sure he had one. He didn't grow any new powers of his own or gain any, and the only time he changes into his "Prince" form was when Beryl had him under her control or when Serena changed into Princess Serenity. Not to mention his roses didn't do squat anymore. In fact, not too long after Chaos was defeated, The Sailor scouts had all gotten rid of the residue youmas that plagued the earth. The scouts were able to wipe them off easily. But Tuxedo couldn't harm them anymore. They would either catch his roses or throw a rock at him to get him out of the hiding place. Now it was Sailor Moon saving him! But the final insult had been when he had missed a fight only to find the scouts had defeated it without him, that was when he called it quits.

"Maybe I should turn down this "king" title. This planet needs a king who can protect them from harm, and I can't do that if I'm always getting hurt, or killed, or brainwashed. If I can't protect myself, then I should just give up the golden crystal and my royal title." he muttered, halfway into a deep meditation. He probably would have gone in deeper meditation if a loud booming voice hadn't destroyed his concetration.

"YOU WILL DO NO SUCH THING!"

Darien jolted up, transformed into Tuxedo Mask and turned to the direction of the voice, with roses in his hands. He would have attacked if he hadn't gotten a good look at the intruder. He dropped his roses and dropped his jaw at who it was.

Yep, I revised it! I'll be doing a lot more on many of my chapters.


	2. Chapter 2:Leaving revised

I did not expect my story to have reviews already. I'm happy  
that I'm not the only one who sees Darien as a good guy. Hope  
you like this next chapter. It's longer.

I didn't think I would get any reviews because I thought everyone hated  
him from the way he's depicted. Thank you everyone who has reviewed, I  
really appreciate it.

Disclaimer: sigh I don't own DBZ or Sailor Moon or any of its characters. They were used without permission. But soon, when I become an insane and eccentric millionaire, DBZ and Sailor Moon will be MINE!!!! MWAHAHAHAH!!

Ahem on with the story. -

Chapter 2: Darien's Origin

Tuxedo Mask's eyes were transfixed on the newcomer just a foot away from him. She was quite beautiful, in a strange way. She looked about in her late teens. She was dressed in a sailor fuku: the skirt was black and the bow in the front and back was white. Her midnight black wings were carefully folded back. She had long black hair that was held in a ponytail and was spiky at the top. A beautiful golden tiara was set on top of her head. But that was not what had gotten his attention: it was what was on her forehead. There, dead center on it was the sign of Earth, glowing in a golden light. She was obviously the Sailor scout for Earth. But how was this possible, Pluto never mentioned that there were more Sailor scouts, much less a scout for Earth.

"Who are you?" he asked suspiciously, gaining his cool again.

The mysterious Sailor scout looked at him directly in the eyes, revealing a pair of midnight blue eyes that matched his own.

"Why Endymion, Can't you recognize your own mother when you see her?" She drawled coolly as he eyed her son.

His eyes went as large as saucers.

"MY MOTHER! NO WAY! I …I….. I …..where….. when." He stuttered. He couldn't believe this girl who wasn't even his age was claiming to be his mother.

"Who, what, why, and sometimes how, but believe me, I am who I say I am." she said. "My name is Gaea, the once proud queen of earth." Then she frowned. "Now, Explain to me why you gave up protecting earth, and what's this I hear about you giving up the golden crystal and royal title. Those are your heritage! Your Ancestors wouldn't here of this, I don't want to hear of this! Explain yourself!" she exclaimed in the last sentence. When she had yelled, her terran powers kicked in, causing a glow to surround her body and make her far more intimidating.

Darien took a step back from the small, but frightening figure. If she were truly his mother, then he really did owe her an explanation.

"I can't be Tuxedo Mask or king of earth anymore! At first, I was able to protect earth and my soul mate. But lately, my powers have become worthless. I used to be able to fight the demons and villains in hand-to-hand combat and I wasn't so easy to kill. Now, I'm a joke! I can't even protect myself, let alone Serena. What's the point of making me the protector of earth if I can't even protect myself? I'm helpless!" he started to take deep breaths as he finished his rant. His throat started to hurt since it had been a while since he talked to someone.

Gaea looked at her son and sighed.

"My child, that is not entirely true, you are anything but helpless. You actually do have power. In fact, if you were given the proper training, you'd probably exceed in power of Serenity's cosmos form." She said.

Tuxedo Mask looked at her. "Come again?"

Gaea sighed again. "Let me explain, before you were born, I was known as Sailor Earth: the senshi of soul. I was married to a man who, in my opinion, was a power-hungry narrow-minded buffoon, I hated him and vice versa. We married because we were betrothed by our families; there was no love between us, unlike you and the moon princess. Anyway, I was on a peace mission between this Earth and an Earth from the Kai's dimension. On the way there, I met a being of great power," She chuckled lightly as a blush adorned her cheeks. "It wasn't love at first sight, and I'm telling you that. But then, over the time we spend getting to know each other, we felt a powerful attraction for one another. However, I had to go back to my mission and when it was complete, I had to leave him. I did not want to, but I had a royal duty to my family and my people. It wasn't until later, when I went to my healer for any sign of contamination from Kai Earth, that I found out I was pregnant. It wasn't my husband's child. I had to swear my healers to secrecy about this. When you were born, there were some physical features on you that had to be removed magically. Endymion, because you were not properly trained, your true power has remained dormant, which also is the cause of you not getting any stronger. This is why the earthen council and I have come to a decision."

Tuxedo Mask, who had been listening in silence, frowned suspiciously.

"What kind of decision?"

Gaea smiled mysteriously.

"Why, we're going to give you special training you deserve, of course. We're going to send you to your father's dimension." Her smile disappeared when her son suddenly exploded.

"WHAT! BUT WHAT ABOUT EARTH? AND SERENA? I CAN'T LEAVE THEM ALONE! THINK OF WHAT WILL HAPPEN! OR WHAT COULD HAPPEN?" Darien was not one to get excited, but everything seemed to be happening so fast for him, and he had a responsibility to Earth and his love. Besides, why did he need training? There were no more enemies coming, so why bother?

Gaea raised an eyebrow at this. 'It would seem that he has inherited his father's lungs.'

"Calm down, Endy." Gaea cooed, using his affectionate nickname. "Both Earth and Serena will be fine; the silver crystal is protecting them. And you'll only be gone until the ice age ends!"

"BUT THAT'S IN A MILLINIA!" He couldn't be gone for the entire millennia, he'll be old by then! Not only that, but there was no way he could live for that long without seeing Serena again. The only thing keeping his sanity had been watching her through the time gates.

"PRINCE ENDYMION! LOWER YOUR TONE TO THE QUEEN OF EARTH!"

Darien turned to the new voices and was shocked to see the four dark generals of the negaverse all standing in front of him. Machalite was glaring at him, Nephlite was standing tall and looking like a statue, Zoisite was looking Jedeite with a furious expression while Jedeite seemed to be occupied with a hentai magazine.

Before anyone could do or say anything, showers of roses were sent their way. They immediately pulled up a shield to protect them, even Jedeite, who was paying more attention to the magazine then the on goings of the room.

Machalite smirked. "Is this the best you could do, my prince?"

"What?" This caught the masked hero off guard. Did he call him 'his prince', Before he could question this, Zoisite had grabbed him and flipped him to a wall. Dazed, he looked up to see the heartbroken look of Zoisite.

"I'm sorry, your majesty; but you left me no choice." Zoisite softly said. Jedeite had suddenly appeared behind Zoisite.

"Geeez, your worshipfulness, you must have really lost your edge if someone like Zoisite could beat you that easily." He commented, only to be backhanded by a miffed Zoisite.

Tuxedo mask blinked. It took him a few seconds to understand what had been said and how different they were acting. Then he remembered his dreams, when the generals had been his guards and the destined loved ones of the inner scouts. His memories showed that they have been brainwashed by Beryl to be her henchmen. They were alive and back to normal, But how?

When he voiced it out loud, Jedeite chuckled lightly as he approached the down prince of earth and help him to his feet.

"Disappointed, Endy? Face it; you can't get rid of me that easily." Jedeite grinned as he placed his arms around the protector of earth.

Zoisite blushed. "The queen brought us here. Sailor Moon isn't the only one with the power to bring those back to life, she was able to reverse the damage Beryl had done to us. We have a new mission Darien: To protect you and to give you your royal test."

"Test? What test?"

Zoisite explained. "You claim that you are not worthy for the title as king. We're here to judge that. As the queen said, you will be sent to another dimension. There you will be tested to see if you have the qualities necessary to be king: Power, Intellect, Strength, and Leadership. Jedeite will be testing you on power, I will be testing you on intellect, Nephlite with strength, and Machalite will do your final test. If you pass the test, not only will you be king, you'll gain our loyalty as well."

Nephlite stepped in and spoke for the first time since his appearence. "However, if you fail on anyone of them. Not only will you lose your title, immortality, and power; you will be exiled from Earth for not fulfilling your royal destiny as our king."

Tuxedo Mask thought about this. While the price was high, the idea of getting stronger did sound appealing. This could also be a chance to see if he's worthy for the title as king. That, and he was rather curious as to who his father was.

"Alright, I accept."

Gaea walked up. "Pack everything you need. We're leaving now."

Tuxedo Mask glowed for a few minutes and turned back to Darien Shields.

"I have nothing worth bringing with me except my memories. I doubt my rose will even be of use." When he had said this, he noted a sad smile on his mother's face.

Gaea waved her hands and Sailor Pluto's staff of Chronos appeared. When Darien looked at her in confusion and awe, she smirked and explained. "Let's just say our family line is quite complicated." She then faced the gates.

"TIME GATES, OPEN! REVEAL THE DIMENSION OF KAIS!"

The doors opened. She then walked up to Darien and hugged him. "Make me proud, my son. And don't ever feel ashamed of who you are. Stand up tall, with pride. You are the prince of earth, Gaea's child."

Darien, who had never received a hug from his mother, cherished it as long as he could. "I will." He promised softly.

When that was done, he walked up to the portal and disappeared.

Zoisite had tears in his eyes. "I know he'll succeed." He grabbed Machalite's cape and blew his nose. Machalite pretended that this was not bothering him the least, but the twitch in his eyes told everyone otherwise.

Gaea nodded, but was a bit more emotionally stable. "I know that, too. But I have the feeling I forgot to tell him something."

Machalite's eyes widen. "We did! We forgot to tell him what had really happened on August 3, 1983!"

Jedeite frowned. Do you mean the day of his car accident? The day he lost his parents and memories?"

Machalite nodded. "Yes, except for one little thing."

"What?"

"It wasn't an accident."

What! Darien' car crash was done purposely? And who is Darien's father. I'll give you a hint:

1. This character has never (to my knowledge) been used as a father for any of the Sailor Moon/DBZ crossovers before.

2. He's not a Saiya-jinn.

Hope you like chapter 2. Thank you everybody for reviewing. It's made me  
feel happy about my writing.


	3. Chapter 3:Life Anew revised

Hi! I'm back again with chapter 3 of His path. This time, I've been asked questions from Nick Johnson. I will answer them as best as possible.

What is the plot of this fanfic? The plot is that nothing is as it seems and there is no such thing as pure evil or pure good. Most or all of it takes place in the DBZ dimension, right? Well, most of it will take place in the DBZ world, but Darien has to return to Serena sooner or later. So when would it take place in either dimension? You'll just have to wait and see. So how old is everyone in this fanfic to be? Vegeta: 35 Goku: 30 Bulma: 35 Piccolo: 23 Gohan: 19 Chichi: 34 Goten: 7 Trunks: 8 Videl: 19 Bra: 1 everyone else: late thirties. What was going on in chapter 1? I am so sorry! It never occurred to me that some people might not know about the ice age. Okay, here's how it goes: In the year 2003, Earth will be hit by a comet sent by a malevolent being in order to destroy all life on earth. Sailor Moon uses the imperial silver crystal to prevent that. Earth has been frozen. But instead of killing everyone on Earth, they are simply put in eternal sleep. That is until Sailor Moon breaks through the ice and awakens everyone with the crystal. Using that power, she puts the Earth at peace, removing all wars, aggressions, and hate. In that time Darien and Serena marry at the ages 26 and 22. They kept the promise of the treaty: Earth and the moon, the 2 kingdoms, are finally reunited. In millennia, Rini is born. My story takes place in the time of the "Big freeze." Except I left Darien unaffected by the spell, and I keep on using references from both the anime and the manga.

Hope I've answered all your questions. And now, on with ze story

Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or Sailor Moon and their characters were used without permission. They belong to Akira Toriyama and Toei Animation. However, I do own Queen Gaea and "The light." DBZ will soon be mine!!!! (See disclaimer in chapter 2) .

Chapter 3: Life anew

DBZ dimension time: 8 months after the defeat of Majin Buu.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Darien had his eyes shut tight while screaming his head off. How he hated the gates of time. Every time he used it, he would fall from a thirty foot drop.

'This has got to be the worst way to travel,' he thought.

He opened his eyes and saw, below him, what looked like a forest. His eyes widened and his scream reached a new pitch as he realized he was not 30 feet high.

He was 190 feet high.

Not even as Tuxedo Mask would he survive such a deadly fall. 'It was a trap all along! They were not going to help me, they were going to kill me!" Darien closed his eyes again, preparing for his death.

He suddenly found himself slowly coming to a halt in the air. Taking a risk, he opened his eyes. He was floating! And he wasn't even in his Tuxedo mask form. His entire body, however, was glowing gold.

'The golden crystal! It's reacting to my feelings, Like the way Serena's imperial crystal does to her.' He realized. He had sighed in relief until a spasm of pain attacked his head, making him scream in agony.

'What's going on? What's happening to me?' he thought as the pain quadrupled each second.

His body started inflating and deflating, his bones starting to reshape themselves, and his ki was skyrocketing to its highest peak, threatening to deplete his life force away.

Then images and feelings started popping up: The lonely memories in the orphanage, the torment the kids put him through, shunning off people from his life, his first friend; Andrew, images of Serena, how they met, meeting the other scouts, Finding out he and Serena are destined together, the villains, his obstacles, the horror of war, meeting his future daughter; Rini, his shattered pride, losing hope, quitting the Senshi, contemplating his worth, and accepting his test. They suddenly started to disappear before him.

'No mother! I don't know what kind of test this is, but don't take my memories. They are all I have left!' He thought frighteningly. He needed his memories, without the memories of his friends and Serena, he would surely loose his mind. Even worse, he might even lose his aim on why he was doing this. "Please mother, don't take them from me!"

But the pain only continued to rise and his memories only disappeared faster. He watched his body shrink in front of him, he sensed his power go up, he saw all his memories get wiped out, finally; it stopped. The golden crystal flew out of Darien's body. The deed being done. In the place of what used to be a clothed twenty year old adult male, now stood a naked six year-old boy. With no memories of anything, Darien screamed for all the things lost.

OoooOoooOoooO

Back at the time gates, The Queen, seeing everything was going under control, decided to go back to Elysion, leaving the Generals in charge of watching over Darien. They had just witnessed Darien's strange transformation.

The Generals looked through the door in front of them for a long time. Jedeite was the first to break the silence.

"Okay, Can anyone tell me what in Gaea just happened?"

Zoisite tore his eyes off the gates.

"I'm confused as well, and that's a first. Though for you, Jedeite, that's really no surprise."

"Hhhhhhmmmmmmmm." growled Jedeite.

"Darien should have gotten his training at this age if it were not for the car accident. The queen insisted that this should happen this way. And also, his memories are to be wiped out for three reasons: she doesn't want Darien distracted of his training by wondering how his 'Precious Serena' is doing. She wants him to be tested without him knowing he is being tested; she wants him to be sincere about this. And finally, she thinks Darien deserves a second chance in childhood." Machalite explained.

"And the golden crystal?" Nephlite asked as he never tore his eyes away from the door.

As if on cue the golden crystal appeared in front of them. Machalite grabbed it.

"It will stay with us until Darien proves himself worthy to be its holder."

"But without the power of the golden crystal, Darien is left defenceless!" Nephlite exclaimed as he looked away from the gates. While he had pretended to not care, he had always had a soft spot for the prince ever since he was a child. After all, he was his bodyguard.

"Have you no faith in our Prince? He doesn't need it. From what the Queen has told me, Darien is equally as strong as Sailor Cosmos without it." Machalite stated.

"WHAT! HE'S THAT STRONG! WHO THE DEVIL IS HIS FATHER?!! Jedeite exclaimed. How the heck did Darien have the power that nearly rivals that of a god?

Machalite's evil chuckle echoed the gates of time. "Jedeite, my dear, you just answered your own question."

His eyes widened. "Huh?!"

OoooOoooOoooO

Back in the DBZ Dimension, Piccolo was meditating near his waterfall in the forest. He was just about to comment how peaceful it was today when suddenly...

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

'What hell was that?' thought Piccolo as he fell in the river. It sounded to him like someone was being tortured. He suddenly felt a large power rising. He turned west to see what was causing it, only to see alight brighter then a solar flare.

"It feels human, but that power is a little bit too high for it. Better check it out, it could be trouble." He said.

Powering up, he flew straight toward the screaming. He expected to see a monster, an alien, an android, anything.

What he didn't expect was to see a little boy throwing what he determined a hissy fit.

'God! He screams louder than Vegeta! My ears are bleeding!' he thought as he clutched his ears.

Darien was oblivious to the strange demon in front of him. All he knew was that he was lost, naked, and he couldn't remember his own name. Worst of all, there was no mother or father to make it all better.

"Hey! Hey kid! Calm down! Calm down now or I'll shut you up, and it won't be painless, I promise!" Piccolo shouted, hoping to get the boy's attention.

Darien stopped screaming immediately.

Piccolo took a good look at the boy. He looked about four feet tall, had short spiky black hair and beautiful blue eyes. Something about his eyes triggered a memory. 'He looks familiar. Where have I seen that face before?' When the Z-fighter leaned down to took a closer look, he noticed a pair of little pointed ears and four tiny fangs in his gapping mouth, just like his. Piccolo wondered where he came from. Those were definitely not human qualities, and he was positive he wasn't from Earth.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" He interrogated. The boy may be a child, but his life policy was to be weary of any new face.

Darien's bottom lip quivered. Apparently, Piccolo had been scaring him without realizing it.

"I don't know."

Piccolo raised an eye ridge. "On which question?"

"Um, both."

Piccolo sighed. 'Oh great! He doesn't know who he is. I can't take him to the city, and Bulma's out of the question. Vegeta would scare him to a deeper shock. Also, his ki, It's a power level of five hundred at his relaxed state. That's pretty high for a human kid! Uh oh! He's going to cry again. Better think of something quick!'

He kneeled down to his eye level and glared at him.

"Come with me." He said gruffly.

Darien looked up, fear evident in his eyes, but he tried to mask it.

"Where? Why should I?" He was apparently trying to sound brave. Apparently, whoever he had been, acting tough had been his defence mechanism on people like Piccolo.

Piccolo shoved his hand forward, his claws inches from Darien's face.

"Just give me your hand!"

Darien cringed, his courage disappearing. His eyes glistened with tears as he expected to be hit.

Piccolo sighed again as he realised he was scaring the boy again. "I'm not going to hurt you. Trust me, I'm only going to take you somewhere where I can help you get your memories back. You'll be safe with me. "

Darien hesitated, not sure whether he should trust him or not, than he placed his tiny hand in Piccolo's large one. Instantly, they were in the skies, heading toward the lookout tower.

Piccolo looked down on Darien's face. 'Who are you? Why do you look so familiar to me?' Piccolo's eyes closed as a beautiful female warrior, with haunting blue eyes, invaded his mind.

Meanwhile, somewhere in limbo, an tall man of six feet with chestnut hair and pale skin, was meditating in a far out corner, trying to achieve ultimate enlightment. He was peacefully floating, glowing a white light. Suddenly, he was attacked by an image: A young boy with glowing red eyes, surrounded by fire and the agony of thousands. He gasped and snapped off his meditation. Breathing hard, he focused on it's power and tried to see where all that evil came from. When he found it, he immediately panicked.

"Oh god! My lady! My lady!" He shouted as he stood up and opened a pair of white wings and flew towards an isolated area that held a beautiful woman as tall as him. She had silver hair that matched her wings. She looked quite childlike from the look on her face, but she quickly turned it to worry when she saw her old friend frantically fly towards her.

"What is it, Michael?" she asked.

"I don't understand how, but the abomination lives on." He breathed out.

"WHAT? Are you sure?" She gasped. This was not good.

"Yes! I could never forget its power."

"But you said you killed it. You, personally, made sure of it."

He now looked terrified. "It's a lot stronger then I imagined. If it gains its full power………"

"Yes, I know what will happen. We cannot let it live! After we've come this close from this close and this far to ultimate peace. Prepare our escape in limbo."

"But my lady, that could take years!"

"Than I suggest you get started. I have worked too hard to prevent darkness from reigning this universe as well as ours."

"Yes, my lady!"

She sat down and sighed. She and the "light" had worked hard in purifying the universe, and the son of the Demon King will not destroy that purity.

Well! Was it good? Bad? Did it answer all your questions? Please Review! And be constructive. No flamers or put-downs. It's not nice. And if you're wondering why I'm emphasizing on the eyes, it's because they are the key element to future chapters. Oh, and for some who didn't catch on, Piccolo's the dad. If you had not figured that out during the middle or the ending, I will unleash Brolly upon you.


	4. Chapter 4: Interesting Conversations

Whoa! I am beat! Sorry everyone, but I've got a math exam this week,  
and with the finals coming soon, it might be a while before I write  
another chapter. Don't worry! I will not discontinue this story.  
  
Now, I have some questions from Teenspirit, here goes!  
  
How is Piccolo the devil?  
O.K., well Piccolo's dad was the Demon King, but since he died, his  
Heir, Piccolo, was going to take over. He did not take over the  
World or kill Goku. But he still holds the title as Demon king.  
(Also, in Japanese, "Daimio" means "Devil.")  
  
Don't nameks reproduce asexually, eeww?  
Yes, I know. But there's a good explanation of the circumstances to  
Darien's birth. Trust me on this. This will come on future chapters.  
  
Is this Piccolo Daimio, the guy who got killed by Goku or the  
Piccolo we know and love?  
It's the Piccy-chan we know and love. If it was Daimio that found  
Darien, he would have blasted him for annoying him or seeing his  
  
great power, he'll take it as a threat and blast him great power,  
Oh, and Daimio does not visit the Kami Tower. I'll try to be more  
specific now. I make you guys guess on some things. Sorry! ^_^ '  
  
What part of DBZ is this?  
Tsk.Tsk. Looks like someone was speed- reading. It takes place 8 months after  
Buu's defeat.  
  
Ages Goku: 30  
  
Vegeta: 35  
  
Piccolo: 23  
  
Goten: 7  
  
Trunks: 8  
  
Gohan: 19  
  
Videl: 19  
  
Chichi: 34  
  
Marron: 6  
  
Bra: 1  
  
Everyone else: late thirties  
  
' ': Thoughts  
  
" ": Speaking  
  
Now, on with chapter 4  
  
Chapter 4: Interesting Conversations  
  
DBZ DIMENSION: 8 months after Buu.  
  
DREAM SEQUENCE  
  
Piccolo didn't know how long he was running or where he was going. All he knew was that he was chasing somebody. 'Where are you? I know you're around here.' Who he was looking for, he didn't know. 'Why do I get the feeling I've done this before?' Suddenly, he saw something move past him on his right side. "HA! FOUND YOU!" he shouted. And the chase was on. He chased the unknown creature halfway to the deep part of the forest. 'Hhmmm! It's a girl? What's a girl doing in my forest?' Whoever she was, she had a sky- blue dress that ended in her ankles that made him wonder how she could run in the first place. Her skin was pearl-white, her hair was black and spiky, and her aura was screaming power. Piccolo smirked. 'She won't go far. There's nowhere else to run' He knew she was heading toward a dead-end. There was no way she would escape him. He was the Demon King! No one escaped him.  
  
No one.  
  
He was right. She was trapped. Right in front of her were mountains. There was no way to get around it and he doubted she could fly. She turned around, her bangs covering her eyes. A small smile crept upon her face.  
  
"So, you caught me, demon. What are you going to do to me? Have your way with me, perhaps?" She said in a mocking voice.  
  
"You are in no the position to make fun of me. I can kill you without moving. I decide whether you live or die. You had your chance to escape, and you failed. You will now pay for your impertinence." He growled the last sentence, moving closer to her.  
  
"No one trespasses on my property." He said.  
  
"But aren't I considered your property, demon?"  
  
This shocked him. He answered her question with a snarl and continued to advance.  
  
She chuckled. She crossed her arms and stood her ground, daring him to try something.  
  
'Hhhmmmm! She's pretty brave for a girl. She's staring at death and doesn't know it. Or does she?' He thought curiously. He reached out and cupped her chin, lifting it up to take a good look at her. He looked down only to have his black eyes meet with dark blue eyes, He felt like he was falling into them. Falling into the twin pools of innocence and purity. It's very rare to see those in a warrior's eyes, and he knew she was a warrior. She seemed very familiar to him, but where has he seen her before? Without thinking, he kissed her. She did not struggle; she wrapped her arms around him, though he had to kneel for her to do that. Then he realized what he was doing and was shocked by his actions. He pulled back and stood up straight. His eyes glittered dangerously. Her eyes glowed with amusement.  
  
He growled. "All right! Who the hell are you?"  
  
Then he thought. 'And why does kissing you feel so right, so perfect?'  
  
She smiled. "I am all that is good and decent. I am love. I am happiness. I am your other half of your soul."  
  
"I don't understand."  
  
She kissed him.  
  
"You will. Someday."  
  
With that said, a flash of light enveloped her, revealing her in Sailor fuku. She smiled, and revealed a pair of black wings. She flew up in the sky, not before saying:  
  
"Until we meet again, my demon."  
  
She turned and left to the sky, leaving a very confused demon behind.  
  
END OF DREAM SEQENCE  
  
Piccolo jolted awake. He looked around only to see that he was in his bed. "Damn! This is crazy! I don't even know her! Why is she always in my mind?"  
  
This wasn't the first time he dreamt about her. During his training to kill Goku, he would have visions of a face in his meditation. He'd ignore it, at first. After all, they were short and kind of faded. But when Darien came to his life, the images not only became more vivid, but it came to a point where he couldn't sleep without seeing her face.  
  
'But I've never seen her in my life, haven't I?'  
  
He had only one clue: Darien is linked to it somehow.  
  
'Speaking of Darien, here he comes.' He thought as a ki was heading his way.  
  
Darien had been living with Piccolo in the Lookout Tower for 4 weeks. So far, he knew the basics of ki. You know, flying and ki-blasting. At first, Darien had been petrified. But after a week of getting to know them, Darien became his usual calm, cool, and slightly arrogant self, if not a bit mischievous. He seemed to cause nothing but trouble. The only way to calm him down is either by letting him read a new book or have him help Mr. Popo in the gardens. Darien was a miracle worker when it came to flowers. Especially roses.  
  
Darien opened the door. He was in a purple gi with a blue belt and brown Indian shoes. He was even wearing a turban and cape. A smirk was planted on his face.  
  
" Hey Pic-man! Or should I call you sleepyhead. Do you know it's the middle of the afternoon?  
  
"WHAT! WHY DIDN'T ANYONE WAKE ME?!!"  
  
"Dende said to leave you alone. He said the tower was more at peace with you asleep."  
  
"He would." Piccolo muttered. He sighed and climbed out of bed. "Listen up, brat! We're going to a party at Capsule Corp. I made the terrible mistake of telling them about you. Now they want to meet you. Especially Chichi." He bent down and whispered. "She fears for your life."  
  
"When is `this party`?"  
  
"It's in.."He looked at his clock. "20 MINUTES! DAMN YOU, DENDE!"  
  
A knock was heard on the other side of his wall. Then they heard Dende's voice say  
  
"Piccolo! Don't use my name in vein, especially on my tower."  
  
Piccolo muttered some curse words that he hoped Dende was hearing.  
  
"Lets go, brat! We're almost late."  
  
CAPSULE CORP.  
  
When they reached Capsule Corp. Darien was awed by how big the building was.  
  
'This could house probably a hundred people.'  
  
Piccolo and Darien walked in.  
  
Everyone of the Z-senshi was there. Even Yajirobe.  
  
Gohan walked up. "Piccolo! I can't believe you made it Is that Darien?  
  
"Yes. He's my new student."  
  
A voice sneered. "So it's true? The Namek found another protégé. Gohan, I believe he's replacing you."  
  
Piccolo sighed. "Vegeta. Just what I don't need."  
  
Vegeta walked up to Darien, taking a good look at him.  
  
"Only you would choose someone just as out of place as you."  
  
Piccolo frowned at that. So did Darien.  
  
"Darien, go play with Trunks and Goten." Said Piccolo.  
  
Darien grunted and walked away to where they were.  
  
Darien stood at a corner and watched them spar. He wasn't an idiot as to spar along with them. He knew that he wouldn't last ten minutes with a couple of Super Saiya-jins. Instead, he just leaned on a wall, Vegeta-style, and watched them fight. He was deep in his thoughts as to what happened to him four weeks ago. What was he doing in the middle of nowhere, anyway? Where are his parents? Should they have reported him missing by now? But the most important question of all was why he had no memory as to who he was? There had been no signs of head traumas or signs of shocks. Piccolo even tried scanning his mind. But all he picked up was his name: Darien. According to Piccolo, it was as if someone took a washcloth and simply wiped it clean. He was so deep in thought that he didn't notice Marron walk up to him.  
  
"Hello!" she chirped.  
  
Her voice broke him out of his thoughts. He mumbled a hello.  
  
"My name is Marron."  
  
"Darien."  
  
"You're cute! I like you! Why are you all alone? Do play dolls? Do you fight like Trunks and Goten? You must or why are you wearing a gi? Why do you have fangs? Why are you dressed just like Mr. Piccolo? How old are you? Are you hungry? I'm hungry! How come I've never seen you before?  
  
"Where are your parents?" he interrupted.  
  
"In the living room."  
  
"Go annoy them!"  
  
"But I want to stay!"  
  
"Where did you get the impression that I wanted you to stay?"  
  
Marron started to cry. She tightened her grip on her doll. Darien mentally slapped himself. Idiot! Don't hurt girls' feelings! They cry and make adults feel sorry for them and you get in trouble. He had to think of something before he makes a bad impression on everyone.  
  
"Hey, I was just kidding! And I like you too and I.. I .I.. I...." he looked down at her doll. " I was wondering if I could play dolls with you." He instantly covered his mouth, regretting what he just said.  
  
Marron's eyes magically absorbed her fallen tears. She smiled.  
  
"C'mon! I have the perfect hat for our tea party!" She dragged Darien out of the party.  
  
'Oh, Merciful God!' he thought, his cheeks blushing.  
  
"Uuummm.Marron, wait! I really don't think I should."  
  
She turned around and gave him the cutest puppy-dog eyes in the world.  
  
"Please, Darien. I'll love you forever if you do."  
  
Darien's blush deepened. Darn her eyes.  
  
His heightened ears picked up laughter. He turned to see Trunks and Goten, who had heard the whole conversation, rolling on the ground.  
  
'This is Dende's doing. I just know it.'  
  
LOOKOUT TOWER  
  
Dende was cracking up too.  
  
"Nope! But I wish I could take credit for it! HAHAHAHAHA!  
  
Mr. Popo sighed, shook his head, and went back to sweeping.  
  
CAPSULE CORP.  
  
"So, Piccolo, Where are his parents?" asked Bulma.  
  
" I searched everywhere for his parents. There was no one who lost a 6-year- old boy. And I searched everywhere for any sign of his relatives. It's like he doesn't exist "  
  
Bulma looked at him. "Piccolo, Do you notice some similarities between him and you?"  
  
Piccolo looked at Darien, who was currently in an Easter hat attempting to feed bra, who was playing as their baby, her baby bottle.  
  
"What, you mean suckers for the puppy dog eyes? Nope! I've grown immune to it."  
  
Gohan gave him the puppy dog eyes.  
  
"Stop that!" shouted Piccolo.  
  
"No. I mean, His stance, his features, his antisocial attitude." She said.  
  
He growled at that last part.  
  
"May I remind you, Bulma, That Nameks are ASEXUAL? SO GET THAT THOUGHT OUT OF YOUR HEAD!" He screamed.  
  
"Okay! Okay! I get it! You can't get your freak on!" she said, laughing.  
  
"That's right! I can't "get my freak on"."  
  
Everyone went into fits of giggles, except for a pouting Piccolo.  
  
Chichi was the first to stop. "Um, Piccolo, what about school?"  
  
Piccolo sighed. 'Should have seen that coming.'  
  
"Well, He can read and write. We let him get access to our library, and I'm teaching him namek."  
  
"Namek! Unless the entire Namek-jins population moves to earth. That's a waste of a language." Vegeta retorted.  
  
"And I suppose teaching your son saiyago will be of use."  
  
They glared at each other.  
  
"GUYS! YOU'RE MISSING THE POINT HERE! A BOY'S EDUCATION IS AT STAKE HERE!" screamed Chichi.  
  
She calmed down and smiled at Piccolo.  
  
"What about Physics? Chemistry? What about History? A boy needs to know his history."  
  
Gohan tapped his mom on the shoulder. " Mom, since Darien is under Piccolo's care, shouldn't it be his decision on how to raise him?"  
  
Chichi turned her head slowly toward Gohan with a sugar-sweet smile.  
  
"Of course, Gohan. You're absolutely right. Your should always have a parent's consent before you teach other children the essentials of life."  
  
Gohan and Piccolo sighed in relief.  
  
"Just as I gave Piccolo permission to kidnap you, leave you in the forest alone, and let you fight dangerous aliens, FOR A WHOLE YEAR! WHILE I WAS SITTING AT HOME, MOANING FOR YOUR FATHER'S DEATH, AND WORRYING MY HEAD OFF WONDERING IF YOU'RE ALIVE, KILLED, OR BEING HANDLED IN WEIRD WAYS BY THAT DEMON!"  
  
Gohan blinked. "What do you mean 'handled in weird...'MOM!!!"  
  
Piccolo's eyes popped out and his face turned an interesting shade of purple.  
  
"YOU SICK LITTLE ONNA!"  
  
He started to power up, while Chichi pulled out her frying pan.  
  
Krillin put his hands under his chin and said "Where's Goku, when all this is happening?"  
  
MEANWHILE, BACKDOOR OF CAPSULE CORP.  
  
Goku knew he was late. But it couldn't be helped. That monster was going to swallow that village if he didn't intervene. While silently tiptoeing and lowering his ki, he snuck past the sparring Goten and Trunks. He could see Piccolo and Chichi at each other's throats, with the others placing their bets on who would win. (He believed Chichi had the upper hand with that frying pan she keeps swinging.) Piccolo's ears were drowned by Chichi's screeching. But Darien heard him. Putting Bra and the Easter hat down, he went to the direction of the sound. His eyes narrowed when he saw Goku. Goku saw Darien stare at him.  
  
"Hey! You're Darien, aren't you? Piccolo's new student?"  
  
Darien had gone temporarily death at the moment. The sight of Goku triggered activation in Darien's head, releasing a memory from the past.  
  
FLASHBACK  
  
A battered chibi-Goku was flying up at Piccolo Damaio, the Demon King.  
  
"You'll never win!" shouted Goku as he flew straight at him with his fist pointed at him. "I'll put all of my strength in one punch!"  
  
Damaio tried to block it with both of his hands, but Goku simply went right through.. his chest.  
  
He screamed in rage and pain. But then smiled. 'Don't think that all the demons are gone, boy.' He thought.  
  
With that, he concentrated. Then he spitted out an egg, sending it flying across to secluded mountains.  
  
"My son, One day, you must avenge your father and kill Goku. We mustn't cut our roots." He said.  
  
Suddenly, he strained in pain. Then he blew up.  
  
END OF FLASHBACK  
  
Goku did not like the way Darien was staring at him. And he most certainly didn't like the sudden rise of power coming from his body. Darien's eyes were glowing bright red and his body taking a nice shade of gray. Goku got into a fighting stance. He wasn't alone. All the Z-senshi suddenly stopped what they were doing and ran to Goku to see what was going on. Darien simply growled at their presence.  
  
Krillin looked at Piccolo. "I thought you said he has a ki level of 100. I'm feeling 280."  
  
Piccolo wasn't paying attention. He was trying to wonder why Darien' ki signature changed from human to..  
  
"Demon." He said.  
  
"WHAT!" shouted Krillin. "But you said he was human as well, Piccolo, I wish you'd make up your mind."  
  
Darien suddenly started to advance toward Goku. The Z-senshi, except for Piccolo, powered up. But before anyone of them could make a move, Marron walked behind Darien and pulled his arm. He quickly snapped out of it and turned around; his eyes, ki, and skin back to normal.  
  
"Come on! We didn't finish playing."  
  
Darien looked confused. But allowed Marron to drag him away.  
  
The Z-senshi looked confused as well.  
  
"Would somebody please tell me what's going on?" asked Goku.  
  
Will Goku ever be in on what's happening?  
Will Piccolo ever make up his mind?  
Is there an answer to Darien's odd behavior?  
Find out on the next chapter of "His Path".  
  
DGLS: Hope you like chapter 4. I hope I didn't leave any cliffhangers and I hope I answered all of Teenspirit's questions. Don't miss chapter 5 of "His Path". Darien gets more memories, "The Light" sends in a messenger, and we get a special appearance from Jedeite. That's all. Now here's one of my sister's here with a treat.  
  
Hey, Alex Damioh here. I'm dgls' sister. I've been doing the last two disclaimers (the first bland, generic one was sister's work). I have a special treat for all. It's my disclaimer rap. Here it goes.  
Disclaimin':  
  
Don't own DBZ  
  
Or Sm  
  
But if your talking 'bout  
Gaea, well that depends  
Since she's a Grecian girl  
  
Old school mythology.  
  
And if you keep readin'  
  
Then you'll get to see  
  
That I used their characters without permission.  
  
I'll probably never own 'em but I keep wishin'.  
  
Akira Toriyama, Toei Animation  
  
Naoko Takeuchi, Kodansha's collaboration  
  
These are the homies who inspired the creation  
  
Of all fan fictions from all around the nation  
  
Now this last line isn't too new:  
I don't got no money so please don't sue.  
  
SEE YOU IN THE NEXT CHAPTER!! ^-^ 


	5. Chapter 5: Power

Woo hoo! Writing is so fun! Now, on important matters, Lone wolf has recently told me that some fanfics are being erased. It seems that our accounts are being hacked. It's been happening to several people. Your fanfics are in danger. If you receive a letter that says they are the fan fiction managers and want your password and account number, DO NOT REPLY! In fact, find out where these letters are coming from so we'd have proof to the fan fiction managers, who will take action. We cannot put up with such disrespect for writers.  
  
Oh! Oh! On the plus side, I got more questions. This time from Buu.  
  
Why would everyone power up just because Darien was about to attack? Even if they sensed 280, what's Goku's base: something in the millions if not billions. (Well, I don't know really how high?  
  
It wasn't Darien's power level itself that was freaking them out. Darien's ki signature reads human. But no human boy should have a ki level of even 100, let alone 280. Not to mention he switched ki signature. And they're not even sure if that's his fullest power.  
  
You say that he will be stronger then Cosmos, but how strong is cosmos?  
  
Actually, He'll be equally strong as her. Cosmos is the guardien of Universe. She was strong enough to defeat Sailor Galaxia (who is known across the Universe as the strongest Sailor scout in the Universe.) and Chaos, the god of evil. So, I' d have to say she's pretty damn strong.  
  
Disclaimer by the great Alex Damioh: We don't own DBZ or Sailor Moon and its characters were used without permission. They belong to Akira Toriyama, Naoko Takeuchi, Toei Animation and other people I forgot to name. We are jack poor. Please don't sue. Most of the stuff we purchase are from second hand dollar stores.  
  
On with chapter 5. ________________________________________________________________________  
  
LIMBO  
  
"You have got to be kidding me!" said a shocked Michael.  
  
He was supervising the subordinates to their escape from limbo when he felt Darien's ki change. 'He's switching! The queen is not going to like this.'  
  
"Keep going! We have to leave as soon as possible. This is becoming gravely serious."  
  
"Sir! Yes, sir!"  
  
He flew to his lady. She was in her throne room. It was completely white. Not a speck of dust on the floor. She was using a crystal ball not so different from Beryl's crystal ball. She seemed very upset.  
  
Michael smoothed his long black hair and walked up to her.  
  
"My lady, we have a problem."  
  
"I know. We cannot wait, you must free ourselves from this prison before he gets too strong for us to fight him."  
  
"But we still can't break through the barrier. What are we going to do?"  
  
One of the minor angels stepped up.  
  
"If I could just squeeze in, sir. Why not send in our mortal messengers to fight him? We must have some followers still out there in this universe."  
  
They looked at him. "Excellent idea! Michael, contact one immediately."  
  
Michael bowed and turned to leave. Then stopped.  
  
"Um, which one.  
  
She sweatdropped. "I don't know. Pick one. Um, the strongest one."  
  
"That would be Bartholomew."  
  
He lifted up a white staff.  
  
"BARTHOLOMEW! I SUMMON THEE!"  
  
A shower of white and blue sparkles appeared, revealing a man. He was of 7 ft tall. He had long blond hair that reached his back. He had gray eyes and a solemn face. He had smooth skin on his rippling muscles. He wore smooth white pants and white knee-high boots. He had on gray wings neatly folded on his back.  
  
"What is thy desire, my lady?" he said with a bow.  
  
She waved her hand on her crystal ball. An image of Darien appeared.  
  
"This creature! Do not let it live."  
  
"Aye, my lady."  
  
And he disappeared in a shower of sparkles.  
  
CAPSULE CORP.  
  
"All right, boy! I want some answers and you're going to give them to me. Who and what are you?" shouted Vegeta.  
  
Darien was leaning on a wall with his arms crossed.  
  
"Even if I knew, I won't answer that, not even to you, Prince Vegeta." Darien said.  
  
He was confused. One minute Marron was dragging him to play, the next minute, android 18 scooped up Marron away and everyone attacked him with questions. Despite his cool, calm nature, Darien was seething with rage. How dare they question him like this! He was not a common criminal.  
  
"What do you mean, boy. wait.did you just call me 'Prince Vegeta'."  
  
"That is your title, isn't it?"  
  
Vegeta looked stunned. He looked at the others. "You bakas can learn a lot from this boy about respect to royalty."  
  
Everyone sweatdropped.  
  
"Darien, why did you try to attack my dad?" asked Gohan.  
  
"And how did you make your eyes glow like that?" said Goten.  
  
"Yeah! That was so cool! I want my eyes to glow like that." Added Trunks.  
  
Darien would have gladly explained. If he only knew what he was talking about.  
  
"I'm sorry, I can't answer either questions."  
  
"Awww." Both Trunks and Goten said sadly.  
  
Gohan frowned. "And why not?"  
  
"Because for one thing, it's none of your business, and for another, I'm not even sure myself."  
  
Darien frowned, trying to understand his memory. It made no sense. That was obviously Goku when he was a kid. But he couldn't have lived it. He wasn't even born yet in that memory. So how come he remembered it. More importantly, why did he feel a connection to that demon he was fighting?  
  
"You expect us to believe that."  
  
"Gohan! You are not helping my situation. Go.I don't know.Go study something."  
  
Goten and Trunks giggled. The adults were not amused. Except Vegeta, who was snickering.  
  
"What in the world is everyone so annoyed about? That ki level isn't threatening. I mean, Goten could fight him off without going Super Saiya- jin." Goku reasoned.  
  
"Dad, no human boy could generate that kind of power by just getting angry, and he's only been training for 3 weeks. I think we have the right to know of to whom we're dealing with. I mean, he could be the next big threat and we're helping him out by training him." Gohan pointed out.  
  
Darien looked at Gohan, insulted. "I am no threat, Son Gohan. And who are you to accuse me of being a threat, or not human."  
  
"I don't recall humans with fangs or pointed ears. And you don't even remember who you are. How do you know what kind of a person you were before you lost your memory, for all you know, you could have been sent here to destroy my dad or Earth?" said Gohan.  
  
Darien's ki flared. He lifted his head up. They expected to see his eyes glow again. Instead they saw his eyes filled with tears. Gohan suddenly regretted what he had said. He didn't mean to hurt anyone's feelings.  
  
"If that's how everybody feels, then maybe I should take my leave."  
  
But before he could do that, an explosion hit him from behind, knocking him down.  
  
Darien instantaneously got up as soon as he fell. He turned around to see a winged man in front of him.  
  
'Wings? I know someone with wings.' But his mind went blank again.  
  
"Prince Darien, I am here to judge you. You are condemned for the sins preformed by your predecessors and the sins you will perform in the future. You are found guilty and will be condemned to hell." said the mysterious creature.  
  
"Hey! Who the hell are you! How dare you destroy my house!" shouted Bulma.  
  
"I am Bartholomew. The Messenger of my Lady and the ever pure Light."  
  
Vegeta frowned. The Light. They sound familiar, but where has he heard them? He shrugged. Who cares? This man was annoying him and he destroyed his house. He got into a fighting stance with Goku. The rest followed.  
  
"Yajirrobe, get Bulma and Chichi out of here." said Goku.  
  
"You don't have to tell me twice." said Yajirrobe as he grabbed both arms of the two mothers.  
  
"And take Marron with you." said 18.  
  
While everyone was evacuated, they turned to Bartholomew.  
  
Bartholomew sighed. " I'm not here to harm your family and friends, just release the demon spawn. If you protect that monster, then you are considered evil and must be destroyed as well."  
  
Darien spoke. "That is not necessary. They are not my friends. I will fight you. Though, I wish you'd tell me why you wish to kill me." His words were dripping with hatred and pain.  
  
"Darien, don't, wait.'' Goku started.  
  
''Save it. I'm no longer listening.''  
  
Saying this, he removed his turban and cape; and got into a fighting stance.  
  
Marron broke away from the group. She had to find Darien and find out why he was crying. She didn't like to see people cry. Especially nice Darien.  
  
She turned to see Darien and the others fighting that angel. But aren't Angels supposed to be nice and happy? She sneaked up under the roof, not noticing it was going to collapse.  
  
Darien was pissed off. "Will you all just leave me alone, I can take care of him myself."  
  
He had been trying to fight this guy on his own. But every time he would get zapped or knocked down, one of the Z-fighters would jump in. He didn't understand. Didn't they make it clear to him that they hated him? Didn't that Bart guy say he only wanted Darien's blood?  
  
Piccolo snarled. " There is no way you can take this guy out yourself! Stop acting like a baby and let us help."  
  
"So now I'm a baby? A second ago, I was a threat to you and Earth, now I'm a baby!" screamed Darien, clearly still hurt by Gohan's comment.  
  
Piccolo looked at Darien's tearstained face. 'So, beneath that entire attitude, he's more fragile then I dreamed. This could be a problem in the future if he doesn't learn to control his emotions. They could dominate him and his enemies may take advantage of that.'  
  
Darien powered up.  
  
"SPECIAL BEAM CANNON!"  
  
He aimed his to fingers at him.  
  
"So long, Bart."  
  
The attack hit Bartholomew. But it had no effect. It only made him release another sigh of frustration. He pulled out a long sword and aimed it at Darien.  
  
"Prepare to meet your kindred in hell."  
  
Bartholomew flew straight at him, sword aimed at his heart.  
  
"Oh no! Darien!" shouted Marron.  
  
Darien closed his eyes. He expected to feel pain. Instead, he heard a groan. He opened his eyes. He gasped and covered his mouth when he saw that Gohan, at the last minute, had flown in front of him and taken the sword hit for him. The sword point was sticking out of his left shoulder.  
  
"GOHAN!" shouted Goku, Piccolo, and Videl.  
  
He gave them a "peace" sign to tell them no to worry. Thank Kami, Chichi wasn't there. She'd have died of a heart attack.  
  
"You are willing to protect him. Bad choice." Said Bartholomew.  
  
"No, You made a bad choice." Goku said in a tone that would have scared the crap out of Cell.  
  
"Fool! Do you even know who or what he is? How can you protect something that you don't understand? We are on the same side. We both fight for ultimate peace. He is a creature of evil. If he doesn't destroy everything now, his children will. We've seen the future. A creature from him will be born with the power of the gods in its hands. Such power should not exist. If it strays to the side of evil, we'll have an enemy that'll cause the heavens to tremble." shouted Bartholomew.  
  
Darien stood still for a moment. Was he really evil? Have they been right about him after all? It would explain why his parents abandoned him. They probably saw him for what he really was. After all, as Gohan stated, he doesn't remember who he was. And what human has pointed ears and fangs?  
  
Piccolo had been reading Darien's thoughts at that moment and was not happy with what he was reading. Darien was starting to believe these words. Piccolo didn't know why, but deep down, he thought Darien was a decent kid. And even if Darien was born from evil, what right did this man have to take his life because of it. After all, he was born from the Demon King, Piccolo Daimio, that didn't make him evil. Goku and Gohan proved that.  
  
So did the mysterious girl from his dreams.  
  
Apparently, the same thought was traveling the other Z-fighters, because that's when they all made a circle around him.  
  
"You want Darien, you have to get through us first."  
  
"We won't let you get near him."  
  
"You're just a bully, to pick a fight with a kid."  
  
"You're also a coward, even if he was evil, which I highly doubt, how dare you try to kill him when he's still in his infancy. He could change, you know."  
  
"I still don't know what kind of power he has, so until I find out, no one touches him."  
  
That last comment was clearly from Vegeta, but Darien was shocked that they would defend him to the death. Maybe he misjudged them. His ears picked up a slight whimper from behind him. He turned around and saw Marron under a near collapsed roof. She was trembling like a leaf. 'Damn it, Marron! What are you doing here?' He looked up and saw that the roof was going to fall if he didn't do something soon.  
  
"Hang on, Marron." He said, flying straight to her.  
  
A large part of the roof fell and was heading straight at her. Marron screamed and covered her face. After a second, she looked up to see a smirking Darien looking down at her. He had one hand holding the roof and the other on his hip.  
  
"Well, munchkin, you going to get up."  
  
"Darien!" she squealed and glomped him.  
  
Bartholomew, using this distraction to his advantage, shot a ki-blast at an even larger part of the roof. The entire roof buried both children.  
  
"Darien!" shouted Piccolo.  
  
"MARRON! NNNNNOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!" screamed 18. That bastard killed her only child. He killed her! 18 fell on her knees, tears falling off her face. Krillin was in a state of shock.  
  
"You monster!" shouted Videl.  
  
"She was a casualty of war. It was of your own fault for not killing that creature when you had a chance. Now, for protecting him, you will all receive the same punishment."  
  
The Z- fighters growled while Krillin was trying to calm an inconsolable 18 down. Krillin suddenly turned around when he felt Darien's power level skyrocket. Darien was still alive. Bartholomew turned to the direction to where the power was coming from. The rocks, they were melting.  
  
"No, it's not possible! He should have been crushed to death. He shouldn't be this strong this soon!" he shouted in horror.  
  
Then, an explosion occurred. Molten larva flowed down. Smoke temporarily blocked everyone's senses. A figure walked through all the smoke. When the smoke cleared there was Darien, floating in the air with tiny rocks floating around him as if they were trapped by his own gravity. He was no longer in his gi. He was wearing black body suit shirt with blue armored pants. On his chest was black armor with green strips. His armor included armored shoulder blades that held a black and red cape. He had finally reached his prince form on his own. In one hand was a sword with a gold hilt and a black gem in the center of it. In the other was an unconscious, but still alive Marron. His hair was flowing upwards from the power he was releasing. His eyes were no longer glowing, however. They were now blood red. He looked at Bartholomew. He pulled back his lips to reveal his fangs, he growled in a low and dangerous tone.  
  
To say that Darien was furious would be putting it mildly.  
  
"First, you attack me, now you threaten the lives of my friends! This cannot go on! I will not allow this!" he stated.  
  
He flew to a stunned 18. He handed her Marron.  
  
"Take care of Marron. The rest of you, stay out of this fight. Honor demands that I fight him myself."  
  
"What! You can't be serious.."said Videl. But Vegeta quickly interrupted her.  
  
"Let him fight. This is his fight."  
  
"But Vegeta, he's only started his training. He can't fight in serious fights yet. He'll be destroyed."  
  
"Maybe. But if we interfere, we'd destroy his pride, and that is a fate worse then death."  
  
Goku nodded. "Better to die with honor then live in shame."  
  
Videl didn't know about that, but she promised not to get involved.  
  
Darien pointed his sword upwards.  
  
"PEOPLE OF EARTH! LEND ME YOUR POWER!"  
  
Because he was the Prince of Earth, everyone's energy, man or beast, was involuntarily given to Darien. The sword grew brighter and brighter until it became luminous. Darien smirked when he felt that that was sufficient enough energy, he turned to Bartholomew, who was now experiencing fear for the first time since he got here.  
  
He zoomed straight at him. The poor guy didn't have a chance.  
  
"SWORD OF EARTH, SLICE! See ya, Bart-man."  
  
His sword sliced the messenger in half. They both stood still for a second. Finally, Bartholomew's eyes went blank as he fell forward. A flash of light appeared and his body disappeared. All that was left was a feather from his wing. Darien changed back to his gi and promptly passed out. He was so sore from the fight that he didn't even feel the Z-fighters catch him from his fall.  
  
DREAM SEQUENCE  
  
Darien looked around of where he was. He was in the middle of the streets. Buildings were collapsing and the streets were coming apart. Fire. There was fire everywhere. People around him were dead, some still alive, but won't be soon. He could make out a man, shooting ki-blast at buildings, and having a hell of a time doing it. 'Oh god! He's just shooting whatever gets his attention. He doesn't even need a reason as to why to kill, he just loves destruction.' Darien couldn't believe that anyone can be so heartless. "What are you doing? Leave them alone! What did they ever do to you?" he shouted. The creature stopped shooting and disappeared. Darien realized he was now right behind him. He turned around and gasped. "Piccolo Daimio!" He couldn't believe it! The Demon King himself was right in front of him. He looked down at Darien and snarled at him.  
  
"You want to know what humans have done to me? I'll show you!"  
  
In a flash, Darien was in whole new scenery. It looked like the town before it was destroyed, only with older buildings. The place looked peaceful. Then his ears picked up screaming. A second later, a young green boy who looked about 13 ran from a group of young farmers. They were carrying pitchforks and rifles. They seemed to enjoy his fear. This was before Kami and Daimio separated.  
  
"Get the demon! Get it before it escapes!"  
  
"Please! What did I ever do to you?" he sobbed.  
  
Darien couldn't believe that his question was being thrown back at him. 'I guess it was payback for him.' Then Piccolo tripped. They were on him. He could hear the sound of tearing clothes. He saw them stab him with the pitchforks, threaten him with guns, they were even touching him inappropriately. When they were done with their fun, they left him, frighten and in tears. Piccolo didn't move for a long time. Darien thought he was going to be sick witnessing that. 'Humans can be heartless, too.'  
  
"Yes. They are heartless."  
  
Darien turned around. Daimio was right beside him.  
  
"And instead of fighting them, My other half chosen to protect them. And I was thrown aside like yesterday's trash. He had the chance to rule the planet with our powers combined, we could have ruled Earth and made a better society, without humans. But he chose to pity them and watch over them instead. Hoping that someday, they could see past differences and accep him for who he was. Kami has cast me out because he couldn't handle the truth: Humans will never change. Humans are selfish bigots. Sure, there are some who claim they are not bigots, but when tested on that claim, they prove to be far worse: hypocrites. They will never accept people outside their race. They will not share this world with out-worlders. They will do anything to keep their earth pure of us 'demons'. Face it, Darien. No matter how many lives you save, or the good deeds you do, humans will always judge you by your looks. I'm afraid you and the Z-fighters are just wasting your time."  
  
"I don't believe that! We can share this world. And not all humans are bad."  
  
He laughed. "Are you sure, Darien? Do you even remember how you were cast out yourself? Even when you were human?"  
  
'Even when I was human? What does he mean by that?'  
  
"You're lying."  
  
"Am I, Darien? Or are you afraid to find out the truth?"  
  
END OF DREAM SEQUENCE  
  
When he started to come to, he could make out voices.  
  
"How is he?"  
  
Piccolo?  
  
"He still badly injured. Apparently, that last attack was a real energy drainer."  
  
Vegeta?  
  
"Man, what were we thinking? Letting the little tyke fight that guy all by himself. We should have given him backup. I mean, he saved my daughter's life for Kami's sake."  
  
Krillin?  
  
"That still doesn't explain how he can generate so much energy. It was up to 300,000. And where did that sword and armor come from?"  
  
18?  
  
"Look! He's coming to."  
  
Videl?  
  
He looked up to see that he was on a couch in what used to be a living room. The Z-fighters were all around him, looking down at him with worry in their eyes. Even Gohan was there. Yarjirrobe had given him a senzu bean to get rid of his wound.  
  
"You're alive!" shouted Marron, glomping him again.  
  
'It was just a dream, or a clue?"  
  
"What happened?" he asked.  
  
"You fell on the floor and scared us." Said Marron, her face pressed on his chest.  
  
Darien looked at the Z-fighters' expressions. They were relieved that he was okay, but they were still worried about him. Why did that messenger want him dead?  
  
"You were out for 4 hours. That excessive use of energy should have depleted your life-force and kill you, and for a second there, I thought I did." Said Piccolo. He was not going to tell Darien what a scare he gave him.  
  
"Darien, what happened there? Who was that guy? And what did he mean you were an abomination?" asked Videl.  
  
"He also said we were judged evil for protecting you, and we'd be given the same punishment. I don't know about you guys, but that sounded like a threat to me." said Tien.  
  
"More like a promise." Said a voice.  
  
The Z-fighters instantly turned to the direction of the voice. They saw what appeared to be a young man with sandy blond hair and green eyes. He wore a blue uniform with red linen straps on his shoulders and wrists.  
  
"Who are you?" demanded Goku.  
  
He bowed before them. "I am Jedeite. Master illusionist and guardian of fire.  
  
"Why are you here? Did you send that 'messenger' guy?"  
  
"I'm here to pledge my allegiance to Prince Darien. And no, I did not send him to you."  
  
'Pledge his allegiance to me' thought Darien. Curiously, he goes off the couch and was about to walk up to him when Piccolo stopped him.  
  
"He could be an enemy." He warned.  
  
"I trust him. I feel as if I know him. Besides, I think he's sincere about this allegiance thing."  
  
Piccolo frowned. But he let him go. However, he whispered to Jedeite. "You hurt him, in anyway, I will personally make sure you die screaming."  
  
Jedeite laughed nervously. "You have my word, he'll be fine."  
  
Jedeite kneeled and took Darien's hand. "You have passed the test of power. I swear, I will be by your side for all eternity."  
  
"What test? And how did I pass it?" he asked.  
  
"The test of power was set to see if you have fully received your royal power. You changed into your prince form, you were able to contact the power of earth, and you received this." He lifted up Darien's sword. "This is the sword of power. Handed down from your family from generation to generation. It doesn't come by chance. It only comes when you are worthy for its power. It amplifies your speed, strength, and special powers. However, it sucks up your energy like a sponge. So use it under dire needs. Oh, and before I forget." He handed him his rose. " This is your transformer. What you just fought was just a messenger, you're going to need this when the 'Big Boys' arrive."  
  
He turned to leave when Darien stopped him. "Wait! You obviously know who I am. Am I really a prince? What happened to me? More importantly, why do these guys want me dead?"  
  
Jedeite sighed. This is the part of the job he hated. " I can't answer those questions. I'm under orders not to. However, if you want to know about you memories and dreams, I know someone who can answer that."  
  
"Really! Who?" He wanted to know those dreams meant and what his connections with them.  
  
Jedeite smirked. "Your father, of course. See ya!" And in a blink of an eye, He disappeared.  
  
Will Darien find out what these dreams mean? Will he be so lucky as to pass the other tests? And will Marron ever stop glomping him? Find out chapter 6 on "His Path".  
  
So far so good. Review please! And if you have any proof on the hacking on our accounts, E-mail me and I'll tell Lone-wolf. Oh! And on the next chapter, Chichi is teaching Darien, Bulma takes a sample of Darien's DNA and finds out who his father is, What's this? Vegeta is being nice to Darien. And Marron has a date with Darien! AWWWWW!!!!!!!!  
  
WARNING: CUTENESS AND FLUFFINESS INCLUDED. =^.^=  
  
Alex Damioh: I like fluffiness, especially cotton candy. ^-^ This chapter wasn't too bad. The line `` Kami has cast me out because he couldn't handle the truth`` reminds of A Few Good Men and the whole `` you cant handle the truth`` thing. Well I hope you read the next chapter on His Path. Oh, and it wouldn't hurt to review my Disclaimer Rap. 


	6. Chapter 6: Childhood

Thank you, Melissa for that sweet review. I might consider giving you some support money if I do decide to get a career as a scriptwriter someday.  
  
Almaseti, this may seem weird to you, but I really want to thank you for your reviews. Your criticisms are just what I need to be a better writer. I'm going to be more specific in my stories, especially on emotions of the characters. You're right, Darien is unknown to them, but there's more to it then that. I can't tell you without messing up the story, but trust me, you'll love it. You're also right about Darien's maturity. But remember, Darien is also part namek. Nameks, when they are hatched, have the memories of the predecessors who vomited them out. They can talk as soon as they hatch despite the fact that they are still babies. Remember how mature and intelligent Dende was when he was a kid. Darien is this smart because he has Piccolo's memories, intellect, and a slight touch of his personality. And as for Jedeite, Don't worry! I haven't gotten rid of him. He'll be back. And the other generals will make their appearances as well.  
  
Alex Damioh here! Here's the disclaimey! Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or Sailor Moon. Its characters were used without permission. They belong to Akira Toriyama and Naoko Takeuchi.. I do own this mouse, this keyboard, and those speakers, that cockroach.. Wait a minute o_O  
  
________________________________________________________________________ Chapter 6: Childhood  
  
It's been 3 hours since Jedeite came here and the Z-fighters were already discussing their situation. While Bulma was making the repairs in the mansion, Darien was in the regeneration tank to make sure everything was A- Okay. After all, that was a pretty intense battle he went through. It was decided that Darien would be trained if they were to protect him from this unknown enemy. Even Chichi couldn't argue about this.  
  
"Then it's decided. Until Darien gets his memories back or we find his father, we watch over him." said Goku.  
  
"From what Jedeite said, that guy we fought was a fruitcake compared to the real enemy." said Tien.  
  
"That's why we must be prepared as well as Darien. They can strike at anytime, anywhere, so we must be on guard at all cost." said Piccolo.  
  
"But we still don't know why. So how can we help him if we don't know from what we're protecting him from? And we don't have a clue as to who Darien is." said Yamncha.  
  
"BAKA! Am I the only person who pays attention around here? We do have a clue as to who he is." said Vegeta.  
  
"Huh!" Everyone said.  
  
Vegeta nodded, glad that he got everyone's attention. "Twice, from both the messenger and from Jedeite, They have identified him as 'Prince Darien'. He is obviously from a royal family, considering his power. Of course, anyone with royalty in their blood must be powerful. "  
  
18 smirked. "I guess you must be an exception, Vegeta."  
  
"WHAT! HOW DARE YOU!!!" screamed Vegeta. He stomped toward 18.  
  
"That's enough, you two! Anyway, if Darien is half human, the computers will show and identify us his parents. We'll find them, question them and get some answers on who Darien is. Though I wish he'd get his memories back soon and tell us himself." said Bulma.  
  
"Oh man! Are we stupid?" said Yamncha.  
  
"Speak for yourself, baka human." Said Vegeta.  
  
Yamncha ignored that. "What I mean is why don't we use the dragonballs to bring back his memories."  
  
"The same reasons as to why we can't give Goku back his memories. Darien lost all his memories, except to what his name is. If we start rushing 6 years of his memories in his head, a child's brain, we could put his mental stability to the equivalent of a vegetable." said Bulma.  
  
"Or even worse, the equivalent of Kakarrot." said Vegeta.  
  
"Hey!" said Goku.  
  
"Oh, so bad idea, huh?" said Yamncha.  
  
"We'll have to keep that as one of our options for now, but I wouldn't recommend it." said Bulma.  
  
"Speaking of mentality, didn't any of you notice Darien's vocabulary? I mean, I felt like I was speaking to an adult. He seems pretty mature for his age." said Chichi.  
  
"Hey yeah! I did notice, now that you mention it." said Gohan. "Maybe something happened to him to make him grow up too soon."  
  
"Oh, the poor thing! He's probably never had a mother's love. All the more reason as to why I must teach him. He probably doesn't have enough food in his body."  
  
Piccolo shook his head. That woman was getting on his nerves. "Look Chichi, Darien has enough problems right now, when this 'light' is defeated, then you can smother him with affection and homework."  
  
Goku was giving Piccolo signals to shut the hell up. He knew better then to argue with Chichi. Especially when it involves children.  
  
Chichi narrowed her eyes. "Darien needs a family and education right now. Are you saying you're going to stop me from giving him that."  
  
Piccolo smirked. "Yes. Are you going to stop me from doing that, Chichi?"  
  
Goku slapped his forehead. "He's a goner."  
  
"BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!" went the sound of pan hitting cranium.  
  
BULMA'S LAB  
  
Darien was floating nude in the Regeneration tank, with the oxygen mask on his face and his eyes closed. He was deep in thought on today's events. He wasn't sure as to why he tried to attack Goku or where his flashbacks and dreams were coming from, but he knew one thing: Piccolo was connected to this. It was no coincidence that Piccolo found him, or that his only memories are ones of Piccolo Daimio. He was curious as to why Daimio would even talk to him, or more importantly, Why Daimio would explain himself to him? Daimio doesn't explain himself to anybody.  
  
The tank suddenly emptied itself and Darien found that he was fully rejuvenated. Climbing out, he looked around for his clothes. Marron chose that time to walk in.  
  
"Hi Darien!" she chirped.  
  
"Marron! I'm naked, here!" he shouted as he hid behind one of Bulma's lab table.  
  
"Oops! I'm sorry. Where are your clothes?" She said, still not taking her eyes off him.  
  
"They're here, all right! Now look away, will you!" he said, exasperated. That girl was nothing but trouble.  
  
She placed her hands on her eyes, but started to giggle, apparently finding the whole situation funny.  
  
Bulma and Chichi walked into the room to see the humorous situation. They giggled along with Marron.  
  
"Yeah! Yeah! Very funny! Now can I please have some clothes? And some privacy, if that's too much to ask?" said Darien, sweatdropping.  
  
Bulma was still laughing when she handed Darien his clothes. When that was done, he turned to the others.  
  
Chichi was the first to speak. "Darien, Piccolo has agreed that tomorrow you'll be at my house for your schooling."  
  
Darien frowned suspiciously. "He's agreed to that, willingly?"  
  
"Well, not exactly.." She trailed off.  
  
Darien's sharp hearing picked up moans of pain in he next room. He walked out of the room only to see Piccolo being treated by Goku for the numerous bumps on his head.  
  
"Piccolo! What happened to you?"  
  
Piccolo moaned. He was in too much pain to even speak.  
  
Vegeta laughed. "The namek was mocking onna, so she pulled out her frying pan and.. well, you can guess the whole story from here."  
  
Darien couldn't help but laugh. Piccolo, defeated by a household appliance! He then noticed that everyone was looking at him. "What?" he asked. Why was everyone looking at him?  
  
"This is the first time we've heard you laugh. It sounds refreshing." said Goku.  
  
Darien blinked, then smiled. It has been a while since he's laughed. Whoever he was, he knew one thing: he wasn't one that laughed easily.  
  
"Darien! That was a cool fight you did! You wanna spar?" said Goten.  
  
"No! I wanna fight him first! You can't handle him." said Trunks.  
  
"But I asked first!"  
  
"But I'm the son of a Prince. So I get dibs."  
  
"No! I wanna fight him!"  
  
"No!"  
  
"None of you get to fight him! Darien has a big day tomorrow and I don't want him too worn out." said Chichi. She had plans for Darien. Big Plans! Scholar plans. By the end of the school year, he'll be as smart as Gohan.  
  
"Aaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwww." they said.  
  
"Come on, Darien. I'll fly you home. Piccolo doesn't look like he should fly tonight." Said Goku.  
  
Darien shrugged. Goku bent over to pick up the still moaning Piccolo. When he did that, his tail chose that time to stick out. It started to wag in front of Darien. Darien stared at it.  
  
FLASHBACK  
  
Daimio stared down at the monkey-tailed brat who dared to defy him. The boy had just killed off his 4th son, Drum. Now he challenges him.  
  
"If I understand this correctly, you're still opposing me." He said.  
  
"And how! I'm going to annihilate you!" said chibi Goku.  
  
Daimio and Goku started to fight it out. But Goku was the superior fighter. He even managed to cause him to crash into Piano, his 1st born son, and kill him in the process. His 1st born demon son. Dead. By his hands.  
  
"LITTLE MONSTER! I 'LL CRUSH YOU!"  
  
END OF FLASHBACK  
  
"Yes." hissed Darien in a voice that was not of his own. "I'll crush you, you stupid monkey, for defying me and killing my babies." Darien's eyes glowed red again and once more, his skin turned gray. His intention was to rip that tail off of Goku and strangle him to death with it. He reached out for it and was about perform his task when 'who else' interrupted him.  
  
"DAARRRRRRIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEENNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
He was suddenly tackled down by Marron. While Marron was on his back laughing, Darien was flat on his face, twitching.  
  
"Darien, guess what? We're going to the Satan Fair tomorrow! Isn't that cool! Gohan and Videl are taking Goten and Trunks and me! And they want you to come along! Plllllleeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaasssssssssssssseeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!! Say yes, it'll be like our own date. A date!"  
  
Her eyes sparkled at the thought. She got off of him and started jumping up and down in joy. She was so happy, she didn't notice that Darien was standing up and walking toward her, wondering whether she was edible or not. Before he could do her harm, Marron wrapped her arms on him. Darien stared down at her with his red eyes, obviously bewildered by her sudden action. Then suddenly, a twin bun-hair teenager with a white dress and a crescent moon birthmark replaced Marron. The girl looked familiar to Darien; somehow he found the strength to stop himself from doing anything rash. Darien breathed in and out until his skin and eyes went back to normal. The image of the girl disappeared as well and Marron was back in sight.  
  
"That sounds like fun, Marron. All right. I'll go."  
  
"YAY!"  
  
LOOKOUT TOWER  
  
Goku, Darien and a slightly dazed Piccolo made it to the tower.  
  
"All right, you two, Good night. I'll see you tomorrow, Darien." Said Goku as he jumped off the tower.  
  
Darien was still confused on today's events. He had to tell Piccolo what was up with his memories. It wasn't making any sense anymore.  
  
"Piccolo. Can we talk?"  
  
Piccolo was just checking on the egg-shaped bumps on his head. They were still sore.  
  
"Sure. What is it, kid?"  
  
Darien opened his mouth to speak, when his brain interrupted him: 'what the heck is wrong with you? You can't tell him you have Daimio's memories. Don't you see? You would be considered a great threat.'  
  
'But I'm not a threat!' his heart countered.  
  
(AN: No! He is not schizophrenic! I've seen people in the anime world do this all the time.)  
  
'Oh yeah. You tried to attack Goku, twice. You nearly attacked Marron, and I don't think Daimio gives his memories to just anybody.'  
  
'What are you saying?'  
  
'Daimio's memories are past down to only family members. And you have his memories. You have fangs and pointed ears, not to mention you have a strange desire to kill Goku. You have a connection to him, all right, FAMILY CONNECTIONS.'  
  
'NO WAY!!'  
  
'Go on. Tell Piccolo about your memories. Tell him you can't control yourself whenever you have a sudden urge to kill Goku. Tell him.. That you, Darien Daimio, are one of Daimio's demons. I'm sure he'll understand. Oh, wait! HE WAS THE STINKING GUARDIAN OF THE EARTH! HIS JOB IS TO VANQUISH DEMONS! So go ahead and get yourself killed. See if anybody cares.'  
  
Piccolo stared down at Darien's face. He seemed troubled and unsure. As if he was afraid of something, but wasn't sure that he should tell anyone. Piccolo wanted to read Darien's mind. And he can easily do it too. But he wanted Darien to tell him by himself. Beside, he had a feeling that if he intruded in Darien's mind right now, Darien would know and no longer trust him. And he wanted Darien's trust. He didn't know why, but for some strange reason, Darien's trust meant a lot to him.  
  
"Darien, what is it you want to tell me?" Piccolo asked gently.  
  
Darien suddenly looked at Piccolo with a mischievous look in his eyes and a smirk planted on his face.  
  
"Were you really defeated by a kitchen appliance?"  
  
Whatever fatherly affection he had for Darien died right then.  
  
"THAT'S IT, BRAT! YOU'RE GOING DOWN!"  
  
Darien ran off, laughing, with a raging Piccolo behind him.  
  
LIMBO  
  
"My lady! I've lost Bartholomew's ki! He has been defeated!"  
  
"I know, Michael. Bartholomew not only failed to defeat him, but he has also opened up a new level of power in him. We must make haste. He has many allies on his side. Each holding a legendary status in the universe. To worsen things, the guardian of fire, Jedeite, has joined their group." She sighed. "I'm not sure I can take anymore bad news, Michael."  
  
An auburn haired teenaged angel ran in. "Um, Milady, we got some serious bad news here."  
  
Michael shook his head at him, indicating that now was not a good time. But like most teenagers, he was oblivious to hints.  
  
"We just found out that there is, like a second wall blocking our escape, so it's like going to take longer then expected for our escape."  
  
If her lady weren't so calm and composed, that boy would have been fried for bringing such bad news. Luckily, she was calm and composed. She sighed and decided that she should focus more on how to destroy the abomination. Lucky for her, there was plenty more messengers where that came from.  
  
SM DIMENSION  
  
"Well, will you look at that? Darien has passed his test of power." said Machalite. (AN: Thank you dbzfan2 for that correction.)  
  
"It was luck that made him pass. Darien's hidden power awakened only because his power skyrockets when he's angered. He becomes a force to be reckoned with when that occurs. But he won't pass my test so easily." said Nephlite.  
  
Zoisite had been watching the fight with worry in his heart. He had been clutching Machalite's arm tightly for a while.  
  
"Machalite, I'm worried. This new enemy's specific objective is to kill our Prince. Darien doesn't remember how to use his transformer or most of his attacks. We should help him."  
  
"No! This test was specifically created to prove that Darien is worthy for the crown. He can't do that if we interfere." said Machalite sternly.  
  
"But the test does not include the 'light' and they are interfering with the test. This changes our plan." Zoisite said, pleadingly. He did not want to see Darien hurt.  
  
"No it doesn't. On the contrary, the 'light' is helping us out in giving the test"  
  
"Nani?"  
  
"Darien is going to have to figure out how to defeat the enemy. In the end, he'll have to face them on his own. By then, he had better have passed my test."  
  
With that said, Machalite left the room, his cape flowing as he did. Zoisite was not reassured. He feared for Darien's life more then ever. Nephlite walked up and put an encouraging hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Don't worry, Jedeite is down there. He'll watch over Darien."  
  
Zoisite sighed. "That is what I'm afraid of."  
  
DBZ DIMENSION  
  
"All right, Darien. You jus sit here and I'll have your test evaluated." said Chichi.  
  
Darien nodded while he was reading about quantum physics. Chichi walked downstairs.  
  
"Oh, and Darien, I don't want you wearing your fighting gi all day, so I've got some clothes ready for you to go for the fair. They may seem a bit small to you, though."  
  
"No problem-o, Mrs. Son."  
  
Chichi smiled. She walked downstairs and stared to check his evaluation test. A knock on the door was heard.  
  
"Come in, it's open."  
  
The door opened to reveal Vegeta. He seemed angry about something. (AN: So what else is new.) He walked in holding a syringe.  
  
"The woman wants me to pick up the brat's DNA so we can identify his parents. Where is he?"  
  
"He's upstairs in Gohan's room. Don't be mean to him, okay."  
  
"No deal." And he walked upstairs.  
  
Darien picked up the whole conversation and was not happy about it. He was not at all eager to find his parents.  
  
Vegeta walked in. "Brat! The woman wants your DNA. Give it to me so I could be on my way."  
  
"I don't want to find my family. So you can be on your way right now, Prince Vegeta."  
  
"What? What do you mean? Explain yourself, boy."  
  
Darien looked at him. "What I mean is that I'm no longer interested in who I am. I do not want to meet them if they don't love me anymore."  
  
Vegeta frowned. "How can you be sure of that? You don't remember what they're like."  
  
"I know that parents don't normally abandon their children in the woods. Or strip them of their clothes. I may not know who my parents are. But I do know how parents normally treat their children. They obviously don't want me anymore." Darien turned away. He did not want Vegeta to see him cry.  
  
"You don' know that for a fact. They may have had their reasons."  
  
'Yeah, like they didn't want a demon for a son.' He thought grimly. "How do you know that? You don't know what I'm going through."  
  
Vegeta couldn't help but see a bit of himself in Darien. Here he was, a lost prince, parents gone and he was only depending on himself for survival. But the difference was that there was a chance that Darien's parents could be alive.  
  
"Darien, Listen to me, I know what you're going through all too well. You know that I was a prince on my planet. Well, when I was five, my father gave me to Frieza because if he didn't, he would kill him and my people. I knew that it was for the good of the planet, but I couldn't help but feel betrayed and abandoned by him. So I swore to him that I never wanted to see him again. While I was in my cell, I heard a commotion outside; I was told that a meteor destroyed Planet Vegeta. Since then, I became spiteful toward my father's memory. I believed he allowed me to be taken away and let my planet be judged by a stupid space rock. But years later, I was told by Dodoria, a henchman of Frieza, that my planet was destroyed by Frieza because he was afraid of the potential of the Saiya-jins." Vegeta lowered his eyes. "He also told me my father died trying to save me. He brought an army to Frieza's ship to try to save me. But Frieza killed him. I had spent all my childhood years thinking that my father abandoned me, cursing him, only to find out that he truly did care and died because of me. You can't make the same mistake I did. Find out the whole story first, before you judge your parents. You'll only regret it in the future."  
  
Darien listened to this with wide eyes. Poor Vegeta! No child should have to go through that. No wonder he wasn't that close to people. Even to his own son. He sighed. Vegeta did have a point. He owed it to himself to have an explanation. He offered his arm to Vegeta. Vegeta pulled out his blood.  
  
"Why are you being nice to me?" He knew Vegeta was not one that opened up to people that easily.  
  
Vegeta gave a half smile. "You and I have a lot in common. We are kindred spirits. But I don't want you to go through the emotional suffering I went through. I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy."  
  
"Vegeta, what if they don't want me?"  
  
"At least you'll know. Then you and I will have a good reason to kill them. So long, brat." And he walked to the door.  
  
"Vegeta, wait! I was wondering if you could train me also. I mean, Piccolo said that I need to learn different techniques from different people."  
  
Vegeta stopped at the door, his back still at Darien. "Sure kid, why not."  
  
Darien smiled.  
  
5 hours after that, Goten came to the room.  
  
"Darien! Hurry up and get ready! We're going to the fair NOW!" he said eagerly.  
  
Darien looked at his clock. Oh no! He wasn't even dressed yet. Where were his clothes?  
  
"Goten! Help me find my clothes! Geez, why don't people tell me these things!"  
  
"I found them." He said.  
  
Darien looked down at his clothes and paled. There was a beige t-shirt with a stripped bow tie and plaid shorts. There was even a plaid hat to go with it. Apparently, this was Chichi's idea of fashion. 'Great, I'll look like a prep-nerd. Even I want to beat me up.' He sighed and went to change.  
  
DOWNSTAIRS  
  
"Boys! C'mon! We're going to be late." Said Videl.  
  
"I am not going to miss a good parking space! Get down here or we'll leave without you."  
  
"Wait! We're coming!" said Goten running downstairs. Darien walked behind them. Everyone stared at him. Gohan and Videl covered their mouths so they wouldn't laugh out loud. Trunks and Goten didn't even try.  
  
"HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!HA!HA!HA!HA!HA!HA!HA!HA!HA!HA!HA!HA!HA!HA!HA!HA!HA!HA!HA!HA!HA!HA!HA!HA!H A!HA!HA!HA!HA!HA!HA!HA!HA!HA!"  
  
Darien growled. "Oh yeah, blood will spill tonight." He said as he walked up to them.  
  
"Aaaaaawwwww! Darien looks sooooooooo cute!"  
  
He turned around to see that it was Marron who made that comment. She was wearing a yellow sundress with an Easter hat. She even let her hair down. She looked adorable.  
  
"Are we going now?" demanded Videl.  
  
"Yeah! Lets go!" all the kids and Gohan said.  
  
SATAN FAIR  
  
"We're here!" Gohan announced.  
  
Darien's eyes scanned the area. It had everything. It had roller coasters, games, popcorn & cotton candy and there was even a petting zoo. The only thing he didn't like was that each and every one of them had a picture of Hercule Satan on them. He felt like blowing up the park for it. Gohan was apparently upset that he couldn't find a parking space, until he saw one marked "RESERVED FOR MY LITTLE ANGEL, VIDEL SATAN, ONLY." Videl wanted to die, right there.  
  
"Well, at least we got great parking space. Heh, heh." Gohan said sheepishly to a slightly peeved Videl.  
  
The kids were excited and wanted to do everything right away. Gohan and Videl wanted some quiet together. So the kids were on their own.  
  
"Lets go to the house of mirrors! That'll be fun!" said Trunks.  
  
It was agreed. The kids went in and started to have some fun. Well, it was fun, until Darien spotted Goten's reflection on the mirror. The mirror made Goten look at least 6ft tall, making him look remarkably like Goku.  
  
"Goku! You won't escape me this time!" He stated. With a mighty cry, he charged.  
  
CRASH! TRINKLE! TRINKLE!  
  
Trunks and Marron walked out of the house of mirrors. "That was fun!" said Marron. "But where are Darien and Goten?"  
  
"Over here." said Goten. He was half-carrying Darien, who had swirls in his eyes. "It was the weirdest thing! He was yelling something at one of the mirrors and ran straight at it."  
  
"Wow! How weird." Trunks said.  
  
Darien moaned, but managed to walk on his own. Marron suddenly gasped.  
  
"Darien, look! I want it!" she pointed a large stuffed bear. It had a green bow tie and the saddest eyes you could love. To win it, he had to hit a meter with a mallet and hit the gong. Darien sighed.  
  
"Marron, I don't think we can fit one in the car, maybe we should just get you a smaller one?" he suggested.  
  
"Please?" she said, making her eyes unbelievably cute.  
  
Darien sighed. Why did he even bother arguing with her?  
  
"Step right up! Do you consider yourself to be as strong as Hercule? Test that out and win a prize!"  
  
Darien watched numerous people try. The meter simply went down. Darien realized that the meter and the gong were both positive magnets, making it impossible to hit.  
  
'But not to me.' He thought arrogantly.  
  
He picked up the mallet. The people behind him snickered. He'll never be able to pull it off.  
  
BAM! SMASH!  
  
Darien didn't just hit the gong. He blasted the whole thing to kingdom come. 'Oops! Too much power. Oh well, heh, heh, heh.'  
  
Everyone stared in shock. Darien merely turned around to the owner of the stand and said: "My Teddy bear, please?"  
  
Marron hugged her teddy bear gratefully. "Thank you, Darien."  
  
"It was my pleasure."  
  
"Look Darien! It's so cute!"  
  
Darien sighed as he looked at a stuffed Koala bear. "Let me guess? You want it?"  
  
Marron's eyes sparkled at him before he could argue.  
  
"Fine. I'll get it."  
  
For the entire day, while Goten and Trunks went on rides, Darien was winning every toy that Marron cooed at. By the end of the day, Darien was carrying so many stuffed animals that all you could see was his legs. It was a miracle that he wasn't squashed from the weight.  
  
"Ooh. Darien! Look!"  
  
'Oh dear Dende! Will it ever end?'  
  
'Not if I say so.' Dende said in his head.  
  
'I will get you for this! Kami or no Kami, I will get you for this.' He retorted back to him.  
  
"Darien, Please get it for me."  
  
Darien sighed and tried to see what she wanted. His eyes bugged out.  
  
"Marron! That's not a stuffed animal! That's a puppy!"  
  
"I know that. And I want it."  
  
"Forget it, Marron! I'm putting my foot down this time. There is no way that I'm buying you a." his voice trailed off.  
  
Marron's eyes filled with tears and her lower lip was wobbling. Her fists were clenched.  
  
"Thank you, Darien." Marron said as she held 4 puppies in her arms. Darien snarled in response. He was angry and confused. It's a good thing he learned how to materialize things, like money. He wondered why he couldn't say "no" to that girl. He looked at Marron again. She suddenly shifted her form again. This time, instead of the blond-haired beauty he saw yesterday, he saw a pink-haired, pig-tailed little girl his age. She had red eyes, just like him when he switches to demon. Darien had a feeling that he and the 2 girls had a connection. Were they his family? Maybe sisters? Or something more? Unlike the strong love he felt for the golden-haired goddess, he felt protective love for this pink-haired girl. Then, the image disappeared and was replaced, again, with Marron. She looked at him.  
  
"What'cha looking at, Darien?"  
  
Darien smiled. He leaned over and kissed Marron on the cheek.  
  
"Nothing, Marron, nothing at all."  
  
Marron blushed fiercely and nearly dropped the puppies.  
  
Gohan, Videl, Goten and Trunks were waiting for them. They were shocked to see so many toys in Darien's hands and a handful of puppies in Marron's.  
  
"There is no way we could fit all that in the car! Darien! How could you let her get you to win all these?" Gohan shouted.  
  
"YOU TRY SAYING "NO" TO THAT GIRL!"  
  
"All right! We'll just have to put some of them on top of the car and.YOU GOT HER PUPPIES TOO! GEEZ DARIEN!" Videl shouted.  
  
After much debate, they managed to put them in the car. Of course, they were all squished in the car. By then, it was getting late. They dropped Marron off first. She waved good-bye to everyone, but stopped Darien.  
  
"Here Darien, This is for you. Thank you for everything."  
  
It was a stuffed rabbit. Darien smiled graciously and accepted it. He waved good- bye as well and flew to the Lookout. He could hear 18 and Krillin inside their house, apparently wondering where Marron got all those toys and puppies. While flying, he looked at the rabbit. It was cute, with its button eyes and sweet sewn smile. Darien thought it needed a name. He thought of one.  
  
"I'll name you.. Usagi."  
  
CAPSULE CORP.  
  
Bulma was working hard. Darien's DNA was a lot more complicated then she thought. The DNA frequencies were difficult to figure out. To any other scientist, they would have gone in a fetus position and wept. But not Bulma Briefs, the greatest genius on Earth. It was all a matter of separating the chromosomes and putting a match. The computer was doing just that. When they were separated, she could identify the mother and father. Her computer could find every being on the planet. Bulma looked at the DNA for the mother.  
  
"Huh, that's strange. It's human, but the energy matches one of Earth."  
  
She tried to find a match. Bu the computers couldn't find one. Frowning, she went to her father's DNA frequencies. The DNA proved to be demon.and namek?  
  
"What? That can't be right." She checked again. But the computer showed the same results. It even said they had a match.  
  
"Okay, lets see who daddy is?" she said eagerly.  
  
Her computer showed her a picture of Piccolo.  
  
"HOLY SHIT!" She shouted and fell off her chair.  
  
Whoa! Bulma found out. How will Piccy-chan take it? And will Darien learn to say "no" to Marron? Will Marron keep the puppies and toys? And what is the light up to. Find out on Chapter 7 of "His Path".  
  
Well that's the longest chapter I've ever written. In the next chapter, we get a bit of info on how Piccolo met Gaea, Jedeite comes in the picture again and Bulma tells him that Darien is his son. What! Piccolo's memories have been tempered with too? Oh no! They are sending in another Messenger?  
  
Alex Damioh: He seems like a schiz to me. Man, is that Marron excited or what. We know someone's getting her daily serving of sugar. See you in the next chapter! 


	7. Chapter 7: Memories

Well, here's chapter 7. Hope you like it.

Teenspirit, this does involve their world, but they are trapped in limbo for punishment. Trust me, in future chapters, Vegeta will tell you who they are.

Chibizink, don't worry; I wouldn't give up on Serena just yet.

Anyway, on this chapter, you have heard the old saying love at first sight. It did not work on Piccolo and Gaea. Gaea is not eternal yet and the mask she's wearing looks like the one Tuxedo mask wears. And Piccolo is still basically evil in his memories for those of you who don't know him from DB.

Alex Damioh: Disclaimer: DBZ and Sailor Moon belong to ME!…. just kidding. Dbz belongs to Akira Toriyama and Toei Animation and Sailor moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi and I think Kodansha I think. shrugs It would be nice if someone would correct me but you people probably don't even read this. Disclaimer's not good enough for you huh! Well, I'm on strike! How do you like that!

Chapter 7: Memories

Darien walked back and forth outside the tower, waiting for Piccolo. He wondered what was taking him so long. Piccolo was sleeping for 6 hours more then usual. Piccolo was deep in some sort of dream, and judging from the sounds he was making, it was a good dream. He turned to see Mr. Popo watering the plants. Smiling, he walked up to him.

"Hey Popo! Need some help?" asked Darien.

"I would be most please to accept your help, Mr. Darien." He replied.

Darien picked up a watering pitcher and tried to look for some dehydrated flowers. He frowned when he noted that a few of the flowers were dying. He placed his hand on the soil and closed his eyes, calling upon the power of earth. Instantly, not only were the flowers healed, but also he even bloomed new variety of flowers. Popo watched in awe; he knew Darien had a gift for healing flowers, but this is the first time he actually seen Darien use this type of power. It was as if he was Mother Nature himself. Darien suddenly felt a ki behind him and saw Piccolo standing there, with a bewildered expression on his face.

"Well, well, well, look who's finally up? Had a good night sleep, Pic-man?" Darien said, his voice heavy with sarcasm. He did not like being kept waiting.

"Save the sarcasm, baka brat! I'm not in the mood." He sounded upset and a little bit scared, making Darien wonder what he was dreaming about. Darien also noticed that Piccolo was not looking at him straight in the eye. He shrugged it off, thinking Piccolo was just being a grump as usual. They walked to the far side of the tower so they would only do minimum damage to the Lookout. Darien wanted to practice using his sword and rose talisman as well, but Piccolo insisted that until he was positive that Jedeite wasn't working on the side of the 'light', he would confiscate those objects. Besides, he wanted Darien to learn how to depend on himself rather then the magical objects.

They both bowed and got into a fighting stance. They were in the air, punching and kicking each other. Energy blasts started filling the sky; Darien was focusing on trying to find a weakness on Piccolo. He noticed Piccolo was feeling unusually distracted, making it very easy to attack him with an unexpected attack. He smiled. He had been secretly working on a new attack that came to him in a dream of his own. He concentrated, focused carefully on his energy and the energy of planet Earth. He lifted up his hand in the air and shouted:

"EARTH BOMB, EXPLODE!"

Something similar to the spirit bomb appeared on Darien's hand and he threw it straight at Piccolo. Piccolo was so shocked by the attack that he didn't even block it. It hit him full blast on his chest. Darien pumped his fist in the air let out a whoop of victory!

"AH HA, once again, I'm the superior fighter!" he said. He turned to see Piccolo looking at him with the strangest look in his eyes. It was as if he was no longer seeing Darien, but someone else in his place. Piccolo backed away, pointing at him.

"Get away! Stay away from me! Stop stalking me!" Piccolo shouted, fear evident in his eyes. He was no longer seeing Darien, but that girl from his dreams and visions.

Darien looked at Piccolo, worriedly. "Piccolo, what is it, did I hit you too hard?" he walked towards him. Piccolo ki-blasted the ground in front of Darien, preventing him from coming any closer.

"I SAID STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!" he screamed, his voice was trembling the tower. He jumped off the Lookout. Darien fell on his knees in shock. He started to cry hysterically, something he hasn't done since Piccolo found him. Mr.Popo ran up to Darien and wrapped his arms on him to stop him from crying any further. While Popo was comforting Darien, Dende ran out.

"What happened? I've never seen Piccolo act this way before." Dende said.

"There, There, Mr. Darien. I'm sure Piccolo had his reasons for behaving in such a manner." Mr.Popo said. He just wished he knew what.

LIMBO

"You are positive this particular messenger will destroy him." asked her Lady.

Michael nodded. It took 4 weeks for him to find a messenger that wouldn't fail. Instead, of finding a powerful messenger, he decided to try something new. He shouted while lifting his staff in the air:

"HERMES! I SUMMON THEE!"

In a shower of green and pink sparkles, a very tall, very skinny man in his twenties appeared. He had silver hair, light blue skin, and green eyes. He had high cheekbones and almost no muscles, except for those of a runner. He had a toga on and around his chest was a long bow and a bag filled with feathered arrows.

"My lady, this is the messenger Hermes, the fastest mortal in the universe." Introduced Michael.

"What is thy desire, my lady?" asked Hermes as he bowed.

Her lady stood up from her throne and showed the crying Darien on her crystal ball.

"Do not underestimate him like Bartholomew did, for he is dead now. And be careful of his friends. They are powerful, but they will pay for protecting him." She cautioned.

"So it is true, the being that holds both the power of light and darkness does exist. Do not worry, he may be powerful, but what's the point of all that power if one can't catch one's adversary?" He proved his point by running from his spot around the dimension and returning in a blink of an eye.

"I will defeat him, your majesty." He said. And he disappeared in a shower of green and pink sparkles.

SOMEWHERE IN THE MOUNTAINS

Piccolo laid under the waterfalls to recollect his thoughts. He didn't know what happened in the tower. The dreams he continues to have were no longer innocent. They were now, as Gohan would put it, rated NC-17. He was a namek. He wasn't supposed to have "those kinds of dreams", especially with a teenage human girl. To make matters worse, she now haunts him during the daytime. Darien looked so much like her that he can easily be mistaken as her without a closer look. Whenever he looks at him, he feels his heart and soul shatter to pieces. Now because of that, he got angry at Darien for no apparent reason other then the fact that he looked like the girl, and he did not even have a clue as to who she was. He had tried to figure out logically what was going on, but all conclusions point to the same one: He was in love with this girl.

That wasn't the only conclusion he came up with.

He also believed that she was one of Darien's family members. The resemblance was too strong to be a coincidence.

"She could even be the mother, but she looks so young, and so beautiful."

Piccolo jolted from the grass. 'Where the hell did that come from? Kami, I'm losing it. I better solve this soon before it gets out of hand.' He sat in meditative state to clear his thoughts when he felt a ki signature close in on him.

"Who's there? Show yourself and risk your life." He shouted. He looked around to the direction of the ki. His eyes widened when he saw a truck speeding straight at him. He jumped to the side, and then he saw it disappear. He heard laughter. He looked up to see Jedeite in the air, watching all this in amusement. Piccolo loved nothing more then to wipe off that insolent grin off his face. He flew straight at him.

"All right, buddy! How did you do that?"

Jedeite was unimpressed by his anger. "I told you, I am the master of illusion. I can make any appearance I want. Watch." Jedeite took the appearance of Piccolo. Despite the appearance, he still had a cheesy grin and a mischievous expression. "See! I rock!" he said as he started to flex in front of him. Piccolo grabbed him by the neck and stared to choke him.

"Why are you here, to annoy me or something? I thought you were Darien's protector, why aren't you guarding him from the 'light'." He demanded.

"Can…can…can't…. breath!" Jedeite choked out. He was turning blue. Piccolo rolled his eyes and let him loose. Jedeite started to breathe in and out. As he did that, he resumed his natural appearance. He looked at Piccolo and smiled weakly.

"I am protecting him. I'm protecting him from far off so that when the bad guys strike, I make my move." Jedeite frowned all of the sudden. "And from what I saw, you made Darien cry. What's with you? Why did you act like that?"

Piccolo snarled. "I don't explain myself to anybody, especially to people I'm not sure of. I don't even know if I should trust you near Darien."

Jedeite was suddenly no longer looking amused. "You've got some nerve talking to me like that. You're the one who broke Darien's trust by hurting him like that. I'd have to say that you're the one I shouldn't trust near Darien!" Jedeite said. He wasn't always playful; sometimes he had a temper that exceeded the temper of Sailor Mars.

Piccolo wasn't going to show Jedeite that that comment had hit home. He kept his face stoic and glared at him. "Fine, I lose a point in the 'nice' department; I'm sorry, all right. But at least tell me if you know who Darien's parents are?"

Jedeite pretended to be fascinated by his gloved hand. "I don't know his father personally." He gave Piccolo a significant look. "However, I happen to work for his mother."

Piccolo was losing patience quicker then Vegeta could. "WELL! ARE YOU GOING TO TELL ME OR DO I HAVE TO STRANGLE YOU AGAIN?!!"

Jedeite took a step back from him and smiled nervously. "His mother was the Protector and Queen of Earth."

Piccolo looked at him oddly. "We don't have a Queen of Earth, what are you trying to pull?" he questioned.

"Not this Earth, you moron, my earth." Jedeite threw back, waving his hands up and down in frustration. Piccolo grabbed him by the neck and looked at him by his eye level.

"First off, what do you mean 'your earth'? And second, call me a moron again and I'll crack your head open like an egg." Piccolo growled.

Jedeite reminded himself that this guy could actually kill him and not lose any sleep over it. Calming himself down, he stated. "I'm from another dimension, where female warriors who get their power from their planets and element to protect the planets. These females are also the heirs to their planets. When they reach a certain peak of their powers, they become goddesses. Our queen is no exception. She is Gaea, the goddess of Earth. Prince Darien is her son, soon to be King of Earth." Jedeite hoped that Piccolo would remember Gaea to back up his story.

Piccolo rolled his eyes. "Do you, honest to goodness, expect me to believe that?"

Jedeite stared in shock. What the hell? He thought mentioning his queen might make the namek believe him. "You don't believe me? Why, I swear on Gaea's name that I'm telling the truth."

"You can swear on Dende's name, and I'll still won't believe you. You have no proof that what you say is true." Piccolo pointed out.

Jedeite stared at him. Something wasn't right here. He asked one question that would confirm his theory. "Do you remember Gaea?"

Piccolo looked at him strangely. "I do know that she is the Greek goddess of Earth and Bringer of life, but that's all." He said with a shrug.

Jedeite was now suspicious. Didn't he remember the queen? They were lovers, for Gaea's sake! Either he's denying her existence or something was up. Using the power of fire, he focused all thoughts on Piccolo's mind. Piccolo stared at the young man's expression.

'This boy obviously has a screw loose. Wait a minute? IS HE IN MY HEAD?'

"GET OUT!" He roared. How dare he intrude like that!

Jedeite got out. But he saw what he needed.

"How dare you enter into the privacy of my mind?" Piccolo said in a terrible voice.

"A portion of your memory has been erased." Was all Jedeite said.

"What?" Piccolo blinked, confused. Then he was enraged. "You're lying!"

"Use your telepathic powers, I'm telling you what I saw." He said calmly.

Frowning, he concentrated deep within his mind. Sure enough, there was a large gap in his memory banks. His eyes widened. How? One had to be a skillful telepath to wipe out memories so cleanly and unsuspectingly, especially his memories. He wondered what he knew that would make someone had to erase his mind.

Jedeite knew this was the queen's handiwork. But why would she wipe Piccolo's memory of her existence, It doesn't make any sense. He knew one thing: If Piccolo was going to believe him; he had to make him remember Gaea.

"Piccolo?"

"Yeah?"

"I could help you get your memories back."

"Heh, thanks, but no thanks. I can get them back myself."

"You didn't even know they were missing. How do you know where to look? You need my help. When I give you back your memories, you'll believe me."

Piccolo thought this through and decided that he had nothing to lose, anyway. "Fine, but don't even think of putting false memories on me. I will know."

Jedeite slapped his face in mock shock and gasped loudly. "I am shocked and appalled, sir, that you would accuse me, the great Jedeite, of such an act."

Piccolo wondered what he was getting himself into by letting this nut case into his head. They both sat down cross-legged, four feet from one another. Jedeite made a fire between them, clasped his hands together, closed his eyes and started to do a prayer.

"Spirit of the Fire, Lend me your power. I call upon thee, give me your power." The fire roared and crackled, rising to 9 feet. Jedeite opened his eyes. His green eyes were now shooting fire. He raised his hands to the heavens and started chanting in an ancient tongue. Piccolo felt sleepy all of the sudden and collapsed on his side. Jedeite stopped chanting and the fire gave out. He wasn't capable of fully repairing his memories, but at least there was enough to make him believe him. He'll have to wait until Piccolo woke up so they would start this all over again. Jedeite suddenly shot his head up when his link with the Generals was activated. It was Zoisite calling him, and as usual, he sounded worried. Closing his eyes, he focused.

Jedeite! Jedeite! Do you read me! It's me, Zoisite! We have a major problem!

'Yeah! It's me, what's wrong? Is Machalite cooking again?'

Stop joking around! This is serious! It's Darien. He just switched into demon mode and he's heading at the Son house right now. He wants blood this time.

Damn it! All right! I'll be right over. Jedeite out.

Darien picked a hell of a day to go demon on them. Looking down on Piccolo, he decided that he was safe in these parts of the woods. Without further ado, he disappeared. Leaving Piccolo alone in his memories.

PICCOLO'S MEMORIES: Takes place before his fight with Goku.

The small village was in ruins, there was panic everywhere, and the only person calm about it was the man who caused it. All around him, women and children were running while the men tried to fight him. Their weapons were useless against him. He rose his hand, formed a small ki-ball, and they were blasted away, all unconscious and severely injured. Smirking, he decided to do away with the village, and the women and children there. But first, he was going to have a little fun. As he walked, he heard noises behind him and saw a group of pre-teen boys running away from him. He decided to give them a good head start before he chased after them. While they were running as fast as they could, he merely walked after them like he had the situation under his control. He chased them a good halfway to a dead end. They all pressed their backs on the brick wall; some of them were even hugging each other tightly and closing their eyes. He could smell the fear coursing in their blood. That's good! Fear made their blood taste delicious.

"So, this is it for you. You know, it could have all been avoided; all I wanted was a drink from your river, that's all. But no, your fathers thought it would be a neat idea to hunt me down like an animal because of it. Shooting me with those pathetic guns. Ironic that I'm hunting their own kids down like animals." He said as he walked closer to them, again taking his time.

He smiled when some of them started crying. He decided he was going to slowly torture them one by one in front of them before killing them first. He was just about to reach for the youngest one when a sharp pain struck his hand.

"Ouch!" He pulled his hand back only to see it bleeding. He turned to see what was sharp enough to cut his hand. It was a red rose.

"Who dares attack me?"

Laughter could be heard from around them.

"You really don't want to know." Said a voice.

Piccolo and the boys looked up to the direction of the voice. Floating in front of the moon was a spiky-haired teenage girl in a strange short and skin tight fuku and a golden tiara on her forehead. She had an unusual white mask on her face, preventing him to see her face fully. She gently landed on the ground in front of them. She looked at the boys and signaled them to run. They didn't need to be told twice. Piccolo ignored them; they were no longer his interest, Little Miss Hotshot was.

"So, there is a fighter in this miserable excuse of a village." He looked at her legs appreciatively. She had a nice figure, a very nice figure.

For a human, of course.

She glared at him and was not at all happy he was looking at her in such a manner. When she spoke, it was in a regal and authorative voice.

"You dare attack children, Earth's most precious gift to mankind, in front of me. I am Sailor Earth, Earth's champion and protector. In the name of Earth, I shall punish you!"

Piccolo looked at her. "Did you just make that up on the spot, or was that planned?"

She growled at him and placed her palms together in a sort of a prayer; pink cherry blossoms surrounded her body as she shouted:

"EARTH BLOSSOMS, ATTACK!"

The blossoms suddenly became razor-sharp and flew straight at Piccolo. He tried his best to avoid them, but some of them punctured themselves deep into his skin.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" He screamed in pain and rage. He snarled and looked at the now smirking girl. Her spilled blood will be most satisfactory. He powered up and flew straight at her. Apparently, she wasn't prepared for hand-to-hand combat as he punched her on the jaw, nearly breaking it. She quickly retaliated with tae kwon doe and some ninjitsu. She became worried. She was no match for this skillful demon, unlike the demons in her world; this one did not just depend on energy attacks. She'll have to come back later with a plan. But how do you distract someone who is now 100 focused on you, especially one whose male pride was shattered by a woman?

"You're very impressive, demon, but you are still no match for the Queen of Earth." She said, hoping she could distract him long enough so she could think of a plan.

"Heh, Girl, there is only one ruler of this planet, and that's me!" he boasted.

"Ha, you and every demon in the multiverse like to think that, my friend." She said.

He smirked grimly. "You don't know who I am, do you?"

"No. Should I? Are you a celebrity or something? " she taunted.

He mockingly bowed to her as he grinned thoughtfully at how he was going to kill her. "Well, allow me to introduce myself; I am Piccolo, the Demon king."

"Indeed! A demon king! Didn't expect to run into those on my first day here." She mocked back, but now was on guard and powered up to her peak, though. You don't get the title of demon king without having a hell of a lot of power to back you up.

"Lady, if I were you, I'd stop mocking me. But at least tell me your name so I could write something on your tombstone." He normally didn't waste his time killing young female humans, since he saw them weak. But this girl was anything but weak. That and he hated that smart-mouth of hers.

"Well, demon, if you must know, it's Queen Gaea of Earth." She was distracting him with meaningless chatter, so she could use her most powerful attack: the Earth bomb. The sooner she left from this ugly green demon, the sooner she can accomplish her mission. Well, no. He wasn't ugly. In fact, the green skin made him look very appealing. She frowned. Such thoughts! A demon was a demon, and her job was to dispose of them.

"I told you already, there is only one ruler of earth. But Gaea does sounds nice, I'll write that down. You should consider yourself lucky that you are worthy enough to die in my hands." Smiling, he charged straight at her, not at all noticing her hand glowing with energy.

"And you should consider yourself lucky that I'm in a hurry to meet the Kami of Earth." She lifted her hand up and shouted: "EARTH BOMB, EXPLODE!" The ball of energy finally appeared on her hand as she smiled evilly.

She threw her attack at the unsuspecting demon king. He was thrown 20ft backwards to a group of small village huts. Taking advantage of this, she shouted "EARTH TELEPORTATION!" and disappeared in a shower of red roses. Piccolo jumped out of the rubble and looked around. She was gone!

"She must have dematerialized." He snarled, now very angry. That was a humiliating defeat. To top it off, she was a little girl. For the first time in his entire life, he wanted someone other then Goku dead.

'When I get my hands on that girl, I'm going to do so many terrible things to her body; her own mother wouldn't recognize her.' He thought sinisterly as he clenched his fists.

Concentrating on her ki, he blasted off to the skies to find her and keep his promised threat.

END OF PICCOLO'S MEMORIES

Piccolo woke up, dazed. At first, he was confused to his surroundings, but then, it all became clear as to what happened and who she was. Now he only had one question:

Why, in the seven hells, would he fall in love with that arrogant, insufferable little brat of a girl?

Now he knew where Darien takes after. He frowned. Still, the very idea of Gaea being touched by another man and having that man's child enraged him. If they ever find Darien's father, he was going to guarantee that the man in question couldn't have any more children. He turned to a familiar ki heading his way. It was Vegeta, and he looked like he had a secret. A big grin covered his usual scowl.

"Oh, namek. I have some wonderful news. The woman has managed to find the brat's parents." He said in a mirth voice.

Piccolo found Vegeta's behavior a little disturbing. "Well, who are they?"

If Vegeta grinned any wider, his face would break in two. "You are going to have to follow me on this one." He snickered. He flew up six feet and beckoned him to follow.

Piccolo looked at him suspiciously, but flew after him. When they made it to Capsule corp., Bulma was waiting for them impatiently, outside of Capsule corp.

"Piccolo, I want to ask you to see something."

"Wait, woman! I want to remember this!" Vegeta interrupted. He ran to his room and came back with a camcorder. "All right, now tell him."

Bulma sweatdropped and Piccolo looked even more confused, Bulma left the room and went to her lab, then came in with her findings.

"Piccolo, Look at this frequency, this is from his mother. It matches the frequency pattern of Earth, know anything about it?" She asked.

Piccolo nodded. "Yes, it belongs to a girl I knew from a long time ago. She had the ability to use the element of Earth at her disposal."

This confirmed it. She was Darien's mother, all right, which validates Jedeite's story. Piccolo didn't get it. He obviously hated the girl in the past, so why was it killing him inside that he lost her to Darien's father, who probably was the king of his Earth? He should be feeling sorry for that man who is now married to that insufferable girl and raising her brat. Maybe because he wanted to be that unfortunate husband, raising a brat of their own with her. But that was impossible. He was asexual. He can never give her the pleasure or the gift of children.

"Piccolo? Hello? Earth to Piccolo!" Bulma waved her hand on his face, interrupting his thoughts.

"What is it?" he said.

"I want you to take a look at the father's reading." She said in a small smile. "Oh, and one more thing, I thought you said that nameks are asexual?"

"They are. Why do you ask?"

She had a big grin on her face that wasn't too different from the one Vegeta had. "Do you remember at the party, I told you that you and Darien had so much in common?"

'Where is she going with this?' He thought. "Yes, now stop stalling and tell me who Darien's father is!"

Vegeta turned the camera to face him. "This is it, folks! This is what we've all been waiting for." He cackled.

Bulma showed him the readings on another sheet of paper. "Does this look familiar to you?"

Piccolo looked at it. He was no scientist, but the readings looked namek. He grabbed the paper from her and looked at it. It wasn't just namek; he saw demon frequencies in it.

"Bulma?" he asked, looking shock.

"Piccolo, Darien is yours. I don't know how, but the computers checked several times and came up with the same conclusion."

Vegeta did a close up on Piccolo's shocked expression. Piccolo looked at the readings again. There was no denying it! That was his and Gaea's DNA, all right.

He's my son." He whispered.

Bulma nodded, happily.

"My son. He's my child. This is incredible, it's unbelievable." He had a rare smile on his face.

Bulma couldn't help but be happy with him.

"You know Piccolo, considering the circumstances, you're taking this pretty…

THUD!

Well." She finished as she looked down at her unconscious friend.

Vegeta's mouth dropped as he stared down at Piccolo. He suddenly laughed out loud. "He took it even better then I imagined. HA! HA! HA! The mighty namek fainted. Kakarrot will die laughing when I show this to him."

"Oh quiet, you! You did the exact same thing when you found out I was pregnant with Trunks. And you did it again with Bra. Now help me put him on the couch."

"After I make copies and sell them to Kakarrot and his baka brigade." He said, leaving.

Bulma groaned. She bent over, dragged Piccolo in the house and on to the couch. She wished he didn't faint; she wanted to know how Darien was born. Then she heard an explosion outside. Vegeta came running downstairs, Trunks behind him. Baby Bra, who had been taking a nap in her playpen, woke up crying for Vegeta. Vegeta scooped her up and cuddled her. She slowly calmed down.

"What was that?" Bulma asked.

Vegeta felt huge ki levels at Black Forest. He could feel Goku's ki as well as Gohan's ki and Goten's ki. He felt Jedeite's ki and Darien's. Darien's ki felt different, though. It felt dark and sinister. Vegeta frowned as he placed Bra on the floor. This was not a good sign. He went Super Saiya-jin 2 and flew off to check it out, Trunks not far behind. Bulma looked after the two flying. Something was wrong and she had a terrible feeling it had something to do with Darien.

Oh great! Darien lost it again. Will they be able to calm him down this time? Will Piccolo come to? Will he get his full memories as well? Will Vegeta go through with his threat to sell the video? Find out on Chapter 8 of "His Path."

On the next chapter, Piccolo realizes why Darien is trying kill Goku, Darien learns the truth of who he is, gets more memories, and faces off with the messenger Hermes. Jedeite shows us what's he made of. Oh no! Darien runs away from the Z-fighters! What's this? Zoisite makes an appearance. More action and humor to come!

Alex: Veggie's so mean! Jedeite reminds of the Cheshire cat. I bet you he'll be smiling like it, too. I hope Darien will ever control himself in the future. We wouldn't want him acting like that if an enemy comes.

Dude: Aren't you on strike?

Alex: Shut up.


	8. Chapter 8:Knowledge Is A Dangerous Thing

Hee! Hee! Okay, everyone! Here's chapter 8! This has more drama and action then most of the chapters. More on the psychiatric mind and emotional traumas, the weak of heart should be warned. Now! Onward to chapter 8! Oh, and Almaseti, I think I'm doing the Japanese version. I mean, the dubbed version is the Japanese show with deleted scenes and civilized vocabulary, right? Oh, also, I know I said in the last chapter Zoisite will make an appearance, but the chapter was so big, I had to separate it to two parts. ^_^ hee, hee! Sorry. I promise, he'll be there in chapter 9.  
  
Alex Damioh: Well, my strike wasn't that successful.  
  
Dude: You're darn toot'n! We don't even know what you upset about.  
  
Alex Damioh: I just want to be looooved!!!  
  
Dude: Then get your own story.  
  
Alex Damioh: Shut up.  
  
Dude: Squatter!  
  
Alex Damioh: Meanie-mo!  
  
* Alex and the dude get in a big fight, preventing her from doing the disclaimer*  
  
* Marron Appears*  
  
Marron: Um...Here's the.uh.. thing that says we don't own stuff: We don't own DBZ or Sailor Moon, but I am in DBZ. They don't own the characaters (those are the people in it ya know) and they didn't ask permission. Um, I think that's it. Well, here's the story! SQUUUEEE!!  
  
Chapter 8: Knowledge is a dangerous thing!  
  
Back at Kami's lookout, Mr. Popo was still consoling Darien, and telling him that he didn't do anything wrong. While Popo was holding him, Darien suddenly slumped forward. He had fallen asleep in exhaustion. Popo scooped up Darien and placed him in his bed, and looked back as he exited the room. He watched Darien sleep for a few moments to make sure he didn't smother himself in tears. When he was satisfied with the serene look on Darien's face, he walked off. Little did he know that was Darien was dreaming, and it was anything but serene.  
  
In his dream, Darien found himself running in a room that seemed endlessly black. He was not wearing his gi; he was in his 'Prince' form. The shadows around him were moving, following him, threatening to swallow him up in its evil. He was scared. Very scared. It was as if every childhood fear that he ever repressed, suddenly decided to jump out of the back of his mind and wreak their vengeance upon him. He knew that if he slowed down, the evil would capture him. Then, as his luck would have it, he tripped and fell on the ground. He looked to see the shadows were about to close in on him. Darien screamed in terror and covered his face.  
  
Nothing.  
  
Nothing happened.  
  
Darien looked around to see that he was no longer in that dark forest. Now he was in a dark room surrounded by candlelights. He looked around to see what had to be a demon in the shadows. He couldn't see his face, but he can tell that he was close to five feet. In fact, Darien could be reasonably certain he was four feet and eight inches tall, the same as him. The only distinguishable feature on the demon's face was his glowing red eyes.  
  
"Darien, so we finally meet."  
  
Darien backed away in fear, but the demon lifted up his hands, palm forward, as if in assurance that he won't hurt Darien. Darien slowly stood up and walked to his strange host.  
  
"At last, we finally meet, Darien." He said again. He moved out of the shadows to reveal himself and the crimson glow in his eyes subsided, revealing a pair of sapphire eyes. The demon looked exactly like him in every detail, except the eyes. While they, too, were blue, they were also cold and dead. His smile was an icy, warped version of his own smile.  
  
Darien knew who this boy was. In fact, he knew much more than that.  
  
"Darien Daimio, heir to the demon throne. We have finally been acquainted." He said, trying to sound formal. He knew, instinctively, that if he showed any fear, Daimio would know he had power over him.  
  
(AN: Okay, I'm going to identify the good Prince Darien as Darien and his evil half as Daimio to prevent confusion.)  
  
"What do you want?" Darien demanded.  
  
"Why Prince Darien, Can't I check on how your well-being is without having a hidden agenda?" His other half asked silkily.  
  
"No." the first one said flatly.  
  
Daimio blinked. This was not going to be as easy as he thought. "Fine, you're right! I'm here on business." He said.  
  
"And that business is?" Darien asked.  
  
"On Piccolo's attitude, of course. Why else am I visiting you from, well, never mind where I came from." He smirked. "Why are you crying, though? What did you do to Piccolo now." He snickered.  
  
"I didn't do anything! I don't know why Piccolo reacted that way, but it wasn't my fault!" he said defensively.  
  
'It wasn't my fault.' He thought.  
  
Wasn't it?  
  
"Of course it wasn't, my naive little weaker half. He was just being a big fat meanie, like he is to everybody. Well, except to Gohan, of course."  
  
Darien looked away. He didn't want to admit it, but he had always felt a pang of jealousy toward Gohan. Piccolo seemed to hold him in a high pedestal. He felt that he would never hold the same shine that Piccolo had for Gohan; and, for some strange reason, that seemed unfair to him.  
  
"Gohan is perfect in every single way. There is no wrong he could do." Daimio mocked.  
  
" Piccolo would never tell him to go away, or run away and hide his ki so he won't look for him. He even has more patience on the Z- fighters then he has for you." His smile widened when he noticed his words were taking its effect. Darien no longer was standing tall. He was now looking at his shoes, soft tears falling off his cheeks. Daimio was right. Piccolo cared nothing for him; he was just a nuisance to him. He treated him differently from all the others. He probably even regretted trying to save him from that messenger.  
  
"I can make him appreciate you." Daimio said. Darien looked up hopefully, but there was still a note of suspicion in his eyes.  
  
"You can?"  
  
"But of course, I sympathize for you. You are a good person and a powerful warrior; he doesn't deserve you. We can prove him wrong by working together. We can show him we are better then Gohan." As he said this, he started to change his form. His skin turned bright green and his eyes became glowing red. He grew seven feet tall and antennas popped out of his forehead. His fangs and claws lengthened. He smiled devilishly. He had taken the physical appearance of the first Demon king: Piccolo Daimio.  
  
"Let me help you, Darien. Together, we will be unstoppable." He extended his hand, as if in friendship.  
  
Darien, despite his intellect and gut-instincts, believed him and slowly extended his hand to take Daimio's. Their hands closed together. If one had a fanciful mind, one could have sworn they saw lightening in the background as they did that. And Darien awoke.  
  
Darien rose from his bed with an evil smile on his face. Mr. Popo walked in, holding a lunch tray with sandwiches and a tea set. He looked at Darien's smiling face.  
  
"Mr. Darien, are you feeling better?"  
  
Darien turned his attention to Mr. Popo. Popo looked at Darien's eyes. They were bright red. Popo had seen those eyes before. They were the first thing he saw when Kami expelled his evil half that later became Piccolo Daimio. He backed away when Darien climbed out of bed.  
  
"Never felt better, Mr. Popo." He said in a dark and raspy voice. He slowly moved toward Popo.  
  
"That was easier then I thought." He said to himself as he walked over the out cold servant. Now the next thing on his list was to do away with the Kami of Earth and after that, he had bigger fish to fry. Like Goku and Gohan.  
  
And anyone else who got in his way.  
  
After he knocked out Dende, He went to find a powerful ki signature. When he locked on it, he jumped off the lookout and flew to his destination. He landed right in front of the Son house and casually knocked on the door. Chichi answered it. She was in an apron, cleaning a kitchen cleaver.  
  
"Darien? What are you doing here? It's Saturday, I have no schoolwork for you. But if you want some homework to do, I have some."  
  
He smiled a sickly-sweet smile. "Is Goku home?"  
  
"Yes." She narrowed her eyes. "Why? Are you here to spar with him?"  
  
"No, of course not, Mrs. Son." Then, as if on second thought, he asked, "Is Gohan home as well?"  
  
"Yes, he's upstairs, in his cage, studying."  
  
Darien sweatdropped. He knew Chichi was strict on Gohan, but damn!  
  
"May I come in, please?"  
  
"Of course you can. I'm having dinner now, would you care to join us?"  
  
"But of course." He purred, his eyes glowing in excitement.  
  
The door closed behind them. Anybody who lived in this area would have heard Chichi screaming in terror.  
  
In the scene shortly after, Goku and Gohan were panting hard, staring down an equally tired looking Darien. They had both been fighting in Super Saiya-jin two. Goku knew he couldn't risk fighting in SSJ3. If he did, the energy he would expel out could accidentally incinerate Chichi, who was watching them from behind Gohan where Gohan floated. In her arms, she held a badly beaten Goten. Somewhere off to the side, the Son house had burned down.  
  
"You're starting to look tired, boys. Should I power down and give you a break?" He said in a cold, mocking voice. He wasn't doing well himself, though. He was on half his energy now.  
  
"Darien, why are you doing this? Please answer me!" Goku pleaded.  
  
"Because I hate you, Goku, from the bottom of my heart. I despise you and your spawn and the woman who carried them. I'm going to kill you later, but I will kill your family first. I want you to feel the exact pain I felt when you killed MY children." He said coolly.  
  
"Dad, I think he's serious." Gohan said. Gohan didn't enjoy having his family threatened. He powered up again, this time reaching his maximum. He couldn't afford to fool around anymore.  
  
Darien took a step forward. He was going to do what Piccolo Daimio and Piccolo Majunior failed to do: He was going to kill the Sons. He smiled at the thought that victory was within his reach and was quickly interrupted by a voice.  
  
"RED INFERNO, ENGULF!"  
  
Darien was suddenly swallowed by a tornado made of fire. When the fire subsided, he was covered in soot and second degree burns. He was no longer in a good mood. He turned to see a man in a red knight suit. His helmet covered his face and he had bullhorns on the sides. The chest-plate had the sign of fire on it, and his purple cape had the royal sign of earth on it. Unbeknownst, this was Jedeite in his transformed state. He ran between Goku and Darien, his back on the Goku and his family.  
  
"Sorry I was late. Traffic was murder." He said jokingly. He looked at Darien and realized how deep in rage Darien was.  
  
"I don't know who you are, but you just signed your death warrant." He growled.  
  
Jedeite regarded the transformed boy. This wasn't his friend speaking; it was the dark entity within him. Jedeite know that deep down, Darien was still Darien. He had to be.  
  
"Darien, listen to me, you have got to calm down. Whatever is wrong with you, we can talk about it over a hot fudge sundae. How do you like that?" He was speaking in a soothing voice the way Darien's mother used to do whenever he was in a bad mood. About 99% of the time, it worked. Darien gnashed his teeth and tackled down Jedeite, proceeding to strangle the blonde man.  
  
It's always that 1% chance that gets you.  
  
"Darien! Darien! Please listen! It's not you! Please! If you don't calm down soon, you're going to kill everybody who cares about you!" Jedeite wheezed. Darien was cutting his oxygen short. Darien merely smiled evilly.  
  
"BIG BANG ATTACK!"  
  
Darien was thrown backwards by the attack. Jedeite quickly moved to Chichi's side. Vegeta landed and looked at the mess around him  
  
"Kakarrot, Don't tell me you let the brat do all this."  
  
"Vegeta, be careful! I don't know how, but Darien's power tripled since his fight with the messenger." Goku warned.  
  
Vegeta raised his eyebrows in shock. Tripled! There's no way! Even Saiya-jins didn't grow this strong in that little time. Unless..... Unless Darien was getting his power from somewhere else.  
  
Or someone else.  
  
Vegeta smirked. "Tripled or not, he is still no match for the Prince of all Saiya-jinns. Besides, I don't think you tried fighting him in Super Saiya-jin three yet, have you?"  
  
"I can't!" He tilted his head at Chichi. "Besides, I don't think Darien is doing this willingly." He added.  
  
"You're saying he's a majin?"  
  
"No! I think it's deeper then that. Does Darien look different to you? Darker?"  
  
"Now that you mention it, I felt his ki shift from pure to dark when I was in Capsule corp." Vegeta mused.  
  
"Exactly! Is that normal? To change your ki signature? The only person I know who can do that is Cell, but that's because he had all our cells, and even he couldn't shift his own ki signature to pure."  
  
While Vegeta and Goku were talking, Gohan could see Darien rise from he rubble.  
  
"Enough of this foolishness! Vegeta! How dare you intervene! You will die as well!" Darien announced.  
  
"I'd like to see you try." Vegeta smirked. He powered up to SSJ2 and flew straight at Darien. Darien smirked as well and flew up to power up his Earth bomb. Jedeite, on the other hand, was in a private conversation with Zoisite.  
  
Zoisite! Do you read me! I need you to go to my room and get me my black bag. Over!  
  
On it! Please tell you have a plan, Jedeite. Over!  
  
Just a hunch, but I'm betting my life this will work! Which may well be the case. Over!  
  
Please be careful, Jedeite. Over!  
  
Awwwww, Zoisite! I never knew you cared. Over!  
  
I don't. I just meant that you be careful as to not hurt our prince. Over!  
  
Hhmmmmm! I love you, too. Over!  
  
Okay, I've got it! What's in it? Over!  
  
Something Darien could never forget. Jedeite out!  
  
Meanwhile, at Capsule Corp...  
  
"Pi! Pi! Wake up! Up! Up!" Bra cried. She was lying on top of Piccolo's chest, patting his cheek. Piccolo stirred and looked up to Bra's bright blue eyes. For a second, He had mistaken her for Darien. Bulma walked up to him, carrying a bowl of water and a sponge. She smiled to see Piccolo up and okay. She sat next to him, soaked the sponge, and began to wet Piccolo's forehead.  
  
"Well, you took the news well." She said.  
  
"Thanks for telling me this way. I'm sure Vegeta is telling everyone even as we speak."  
  
"I don't think he'll be doing that anytime soon. Vegeta flew off to Goku's house with out the pictures. There was some kind of explosion there a little bit after you conked out."  
  
"Chichi probably let Goku cook again." Piccolo said, completely straight-faced.  
  
They both laughed.  
  
"On serious matters, I don't understand how Darien can be your son, I mean, you're not exactly equipped for it." She said, her face spreading into a sheepish smile.  
  
"Believe it or not, I'm just as perplexed. Are you sure you checked twice to make sure?" He didn't want to jump to conclusions.  
  
"Piccolo, I think the namek DNA tipped me off, and you're the only self-proclaimed Demon king I know." She said. Then her eyes widened as she suddenly remembered something "Piccolo? I've been meaning to ask you, do you can tell me who the mother is? I'm kind of curious as to this woman's identity, and not just scientifically, either, since you're not one to go out with women. She must have been really special to get your attention." She smiled and nudged him.  
  
Piccolo blushed. "To tell you the truth, I don't who she is. I have almost no memory of her. Finding this out was a total and complete shock to me."  
  
"I guess it would be, by the way, how is Darien so smart? I got a call from Chichi yesterday, and she said he has an I.Q. of 280, which is way past the genius level."  
  
Piccolo chuckled and sat up. "Blame it on my genes. Nameks can pass on information and memories to their offspring. We can even give them a specific order."  
  
"A specific order?"  
  
"Yeah, you know, like if you have unfinished business to attend to, circumstances beyond your control force you to not achieve it, we sometimes spit out our eggs with the instructions to do our job."  
  
"Really? That seems interesting to study. How is that possible?"  
  
"Before we spit out our eggs, we give the offspring inside us a telepathic order in their sub-conscious mind. That way, they are born to do that one specific thing."  
  
"That one specific thing, huh? But what happens if the offspring fails to achieve that too?"  
  
"Then it falls on to the next offspring. The order is genetic. If he fails, then it is passed on to his children, and so forth if he fails."  
  
"Whoa, totally cool! Hey Piccolo, aren't you like that?"  
  
"Yes, I am. My father passed his memories and powers to me and gave me a specific order: Kill Goku and rule Earth."  
  
Bulma snickered and punched him on the arm. "And you failed doing both!" she said.  
  
Piccolo rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I failed on that, so the order falls on.....Darien." Piccolo's eyes widened and his face paled as he said that last word. Bulma figured it out as well and almost fell off her seat.  
  
"Oh no." Bulma whispered.  
  
Piccolo stood up completely. Darien, he had the order. He's out to kill Goku, that's why he acted weird at the party. Darien is out to kill Goku and take over Earth as demon king. Then, another thought hit him: The explosion at Goku's house. He turned to the direction of the explosion to feel the ki. Sure enough, there was Darien's ki. And it was anything BUT pure. He stood up, forgetting that Bra was on his lap. Bulma caught her before she hit the ground.  
  
"Bulma! Darien is at Goku's. And from the read on his ki, He's pissed!"  
  
He flew out through the roof. But Bulma was not going to stay here and wait. She scooped up Bra and ran to her helicopter.  
  
Back at the Sons', Vegeta was enjoying his fight with Darien. The boy couldn't match with a Super Saiya-jin; But Darien was not giving up. He was doing everything he could to outmatch and outwit the Saiya-jin prince. The boy was brave and intelligent; he'll give him that. He appeared behind Darien and knocked him flat on the ground. Then he powered up and threw a large ki ball at him. The ball would temporarily stun Darien. After all, his intention was to knock out Darien, not kill him.  
  
Of course, the others don't know that.  
  
After seeing Darien knocked out, Gohan and Goku thought this was the time to finish. They got together, cheek-to-cheek, and put their hands next to each hand. Both of them shouted "KAME-HAME- HA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
Vegeta's eyes widened. "You... Stupid... Idiotic..BAKAS!!!!!!!" he screamed. Great! How was going to tell this to Piccolo? Darien looked to see the attack heading straight at him. He was too weak to move! Jedeite received his bag from Zoisite and saw just in time was going to happen to Darien.  
  
"AAAAHHH!" he screamed in a little girl's voice. He flew, full- speed at Darien and scooped him up, narrowly missing the attack by a millimeter. Vegeta closed his eyes in relief Goku looked confused, and Gohan was wondering what the hell is going on.  
  
"Vegeta! Hold everyone off until I calm Prince Darien down!" Jedeite shouted. Vegeta frowned, not liking being ordered about by this third-rate fighter. But he landed down and got in front of Goku and Gohan.  
  
"What! Vegeta! What are you doing? Are you fighting on his side?" Goku demanded.  
  
"Quiet. Don't talk about things that aren't your concern." Vegeta said in a calm, authoritive voice.  
  
Gohan was furious. " He comes in, attacks my mom and brother, threatens their lives and you expect us to let that go!" he said angrily.  
  
Vegeta's eyes went hard and cold. He spoke in a quiet voice, which to anyone who knew him was far more dangerous, then his enraged voice. "Are you challenging me, Gohan?"  
  
Gohan knew he wouldn't last a second against him if he fought him. He also knew that his father wasn't going to fight Vegeta because Goku cared for him like an older brother.  
  
And, more importantly, he was right.  
  
Goku smiled. "If you say so Vegeta, but I hope you have a good reason for this."  
  
"Believe me, Kakarrot. If you and your brat had succeeded in killing him, you would have regretted it to the bottom of your soul."  
  
"I believe you, Vegeta."  
  
Vegeta gave Jedeite a nod. Jedeite turned to Darien, who was advancing at him. Jedeite went straight to his bag, pulled up an object, and tossed it on the ground in front of Darien. Darien curiously picked it up. It was a star-shaped locket. Darien examined it. After that, his eyes were no longer red, but there was still an element of coldness in them. Darien was sure he had seen this before, but where? He then opened the locket. Inside was a crescent moon slowly spinning in a circle. A melodic tune played, filling the ears of anyone who heard it. Inner peace washed the hearts of the tired warriors; even Vegeta seemed at peace with himself. Darien listened to the melody and was suddenly flooded with memories.  
  
In the flashback, Prince Endymion and Princess Serenity were both holding hands. Endymion had to leave on important matters, but Serenity wouldn't have it. She couldn't bear to be separated from him for a second, let alone a year.  
  
"Must you go?" she pleaded.  
  
"I must. But don't worry, I will return as soon as possible. Then, with Gaea as my witness, you will be my wife." He said.  
  
Serenity lowered her head. She knew how stubborn he was and that there was nothing she can do once he makes a decision.  
  
"All right, love. Whatever decision you make, I'll be behind you all the way. Still, I will not have a happy moment with you not here to share it."  
  
"That is why I created this." A space pocket opened, dropping in Darien's hand a locket. Serenity opened the locket and it played their song.  
  
"Oh Endy-chan." She breathed.  
  
Endymion leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead.  
  
"Until we meet again, my love."  
  
And the flashback ended.  
  
"Until we meet again." Darien said, still in the trance. He stared at the locket, forgetting everything else around him. Piccolo chose that moment to land. He looked around to see the area was a mess.  
  
"Piccolo!" Gohan shouted.  
  
This snapped Darien out of his trance. He looked around to see everything in ruins, the Saiya-jins pretty much beat up and angry, Jedeite looking at him with worry and a very upset Piccolo. Suddenly, the memories of what he had done flooded his mind. His eyes widened and he kept on mouthing "no". He started shaking his head back and forth and backed away from Jedeite. He looked at his hands and saw they were drenched with blood. Some from him and the rest from the Sons.  
  
"What have I done?" he whispered.  
  
"Darien.." Jedeite began before Darien interrupted with a scream.  
  
"WHAT HAVE I DONE?!!!!!!!!" He wailed, fat tears streaming down his face. He fell on his knees, crying. He had attacked them! What did that make him? What did this mean? All he wanted was for Piccolo to like him! Did that make him evil?!!  
  
Goku tried to go to Darien, but Piccolo wouldn't let him.  
  
"Don't get near him! You're the last person he wants to see, right now." He said. He turned to Darien and walked up to him. But Darien moved away from him.  
  
"Don't come near me! I might hurt you! They're right! I am evil! I AM EVIL!" he sobbed, choking on his tears.  
  
"No, Darien, that's not true. There's a reason for this."  
  
Darien didn't stay to hear more.  
  
"EARTH TELEPORTATION"  
  
In a blink of an eye, Darien was gone.  
  
Hermes was taking a moment to relax in downtown Ginger town. He had been searching and searching for Darien around the world, but for some reason, he couldn't find him. He was just about to call it a day when he saw something appear in front of him. It was Darien. Not even seeing the messenger, Darien continued to fly off. Hermes couldn't believe his luck! He had found him! Instead of attacking him now, he decided to follow him. Unlike the Bartholomew, he was not going to underestimate him. He smiled. Soon, the universe will be rid of this spawn of evil.  
  
No! Darien! He ran away from Piccolo! Will they get him back? What's Jedeite going to do? More importantly, what's Zoisite going to do to Jedeite when he finds out he lost Darien? Find out on the next chapter of "His Path".  
  
Well, this is going to be intense. On chapter 9, the search for Darien begins. And with Hermes on his tail, they better hurry. Don't worry, as promised, Zoisite will make an appearance on this chapter. Yay! We also get to see more Marron.  
  
Alex Damioh: Bloop! Well it's the end of chapter 8. Another chappy's been born. *sniffle* it makes me so happy. *wipes tear from eye* I can't believe Chichi is insane enough to put Gohan in a cage. I guess she doesn't want him running off with Icarus. There's nothing wrong with having a little fun. Poor Gohan. See you next time!  
  
Marron: Yay! I'm in the next one! It's nice hanging with you guys but you fight all the time.  
  
Alex Damioh: At least I don't cheat like he does.  
  
Dude: I don't cheat!  
*the fight goes on*  
  
Marron: ^-^' 


	9. Chapter 9: Intellect

Okay, this is the moment we've been waiting for. I made this chapter as long as possible. I would like to thank Almaseti for beta- reading this chapter and chapter 8. You are a big help to me. I'll stop talking now. Let the chapter begin! Alex: Yay! Let's go!  
  
Disclaimer: *see disclaimer in chapter 8* I've gotten lazy. ^_^  
  
Chapter 9: Intellect  
  
Darien flew straight ahead, going in no particular direction whatsoever. All he could do was replay the events that played out. What came over him? How could he attack his friends like that? He never felt so much self-disgust. What did Piccolo think of him now? He needed help, but there was no one to turn to. He stopped when he noticed a large garden full of roses. He landed down to rest. Then he felt a lump on his throat. He allowed it to dissolve and fresh new tears fell from his face.  
  
"I want to die." He whispered. He sat on a log and covered his face. Despite this, he was still on guard. A natural instinct from his demon heritage: they are on guard since the day they are born.  
  
That instinct saved his life. Little did he know was that Hermes was watching him from above. He pulled his arrows out, preparing to attack Darien when he was off guard.  
  
"Do not worry, little one, I shall end your suffering."  
  
At the battlefield, Piccolo bent over to the spot where Darien had been standing only moments ago. Darien had proven from the destruction that he did indeed have the order on his head. Piccolo had so much to deal with right now: Finding out that his memories had been tampered with, Darien being his son, and the mysterious and rather annoying Jedeite. He no longer knew what to do anymore. He turned to the others and looked at them. Gohan was the first to bombard him with questions.  
  
"Piccolo, what just happened? Can you please tell us what happened with Darien?"  
  
Piccolo sighed. He started from the top, telling them about his memories being removed, finding out Darien was his son, and finally realizing Darien's strange behavior was due to the fact that he has a piece of Daimio's soul in him. Piccolo had never felt so humiliated in his life. He thought he destroyed his father's legacy, but it lived on: In Darien.  
  
"Wow! That's unbelievable, Piccolo. Darien is your son! Hey! Now that I think about it, I can see the resemblance, you do look a little alike, and you even act alike. Wow! Darien, your own son." Goku said. He grinned the famous "Son" grin; he was so happy for his friend that he forgot what Darien had done to them.  
  
"But that's not possible! Nameks are asexual, they can't have children that way!" Gohan argued.  
  
"Don't you think I know that, Gohan, but Bulma checked a hundred times, I knew his mother from the past, and, may I point out, that this explains why Darien has suddenly become bent on Goku's destruction." Piccolo said as he threw his hands up in frustration. Goten was revived thanks to a senzu bean so now he was bouncing off his mother's lap. Chichi was listening intently, while Vegeta leaned on the remains of a crumbling wall.  
  
"So, the brat is here to kill Kakarrot because of you and your father? My! My! Namek, you left a proud heritage for the boy." Vegeta said, with a rude sneer marring his features.  
  
Piccolo was too tired to yell at Vegeta. He was worried about Darien's state of mind. He knew that Darien's emotions were his weakness; but now, if Darien truly believed that he was evil, he might do something drastic, like suicide. There was no way Piccolo was going to let that happen to his only son.  
  
They looked up at a loud sound, and a yellow helicopter with the words "Capsule Corp" written on one side was hovering over their heads. Bulma landed gently right next to the burnt house. She climbed out, holding Bra in one arm and what looked like a shotgun in the other.  
  
"Hey, guys! What did I miss?" she said cheerfully. She knew that gun would come in handy.  
  
"Woman! What are you doing here?" Vegeta demanded.  
  
"And what, pray tell, is that?" Piccolo asked, narrowing his eyes at the gun.  
  
"Oh, this?" she said, holding up the gun. "It's a tranquilizer gun, I made it about ten years ago for Vegeta, you know, on the off chance that he would be dangerous, it was supposed to be able to knock him out for days. I brought it on the off-chance that it might come in handy."  
  
"I have the feeling you're not here to shoot Vegeta, all though about now I find the idea very appealing." Piccolo said.  
  
"Conspiring against me already, I see." Vegeta sneered.  
  
Bulma smiled at Vegeta's annoyed face. "It was designed to work on Vegeta, so it should put Darien out for a long time."  
  
Piccolo snarled. Darien had to be put under control, but not this way. "Forget it, Bulma! I can't believe you would even suggest that!" He yelled. "I mean, would you even do that to your own kids?"  
  
"Are you kidding? You'd be surprise how many times Trunks runs away from me to fight off monsters with the others while I stay home, wondering if I'll see him again. I swear; he's just like Vegeta, always picking a fight with someone bigger then him. And, you know, someone has to keep these men under control." Bulma boasted.  
  
Vegeta looked very disturbed at Bulma's statement, and Piccolo stared at her and tried not to laugh. Women were crazy: Chichi with her cage for Gohan, and now Bulma with that gun for Trunks.  
  
"Speaking of Trunks, where is he Vegeta? He was right behind you when you left." Bulma said, now realizing that Trunks wasn't present.  
  
"He went to investigate that strange power level we felt earlier." Vegeta said with a shrug.  
  
This got everyone's attention. "What strange power level?" Gohan said.  
  
"On the way there, I felt a strong power level, so I sent Trunks to investigate it. I believe it's another messenger. His ki signature matches the one of that last 'light' baka. I told Trunks that I wanted him to see what that was and report back." He said.  
  
"And how long ago was that?" Goku asked.  
  
Vegeta looked at his watch. "About an hour ago."  
  
"VEGETA!" Bulma exclaimed.  
  
"He's fine! I told him to look around, but avoid confrontation until I get there."  
  
"They might kill Trunks if they find him."  
  
"They are more bent on Darien's destruction. I doubt they would care if Trunks were watching them. They'll ignore him."  
  
Bulma shook her head. " That 'Bart' guy said that because we defend Darien, we are considered evil and killed along with him. This new guy will not just kill Trunks. In fact, I think we're all in danger from this 'messenger'."  
  
Everyone looked at each other as the knowledge sank in. Bulma was right! Darien isn't the only one in danger. Because they fight to protect Darien, they were all in danger, including their children.  
  
"I think," Goku began. "We should contact the Z-senshi for an emergency meeting."  
  
In Ginger town, Trunks was beginning to doubt that he felt anything in this area. He was just about to report back to his father when he felt Darien's ki a little way off. Frowning, he followed the ki to a botanical garden. He found Darien sitting on a tree stump, crying his eyes out. His first thought was to call him a baby, but then he remembered that there were times when he used to cry like that. Like when Majin Buu killed his father. Something like that could have happened. After all, Trunks wasn't a terrible kid, just mischievous and sometimes a jerk. That, and he knew better then to pick a fight with someone strong enough to spar with Piccolo.  
  
"Hi Darien! What are you doing here?" he said, trying to sound good-natured.  
  
Darien jerked his head up, looked at Trunks and hissed at him. "Back off, Briefs! I'm not in the mood."  
  
Trunks either didn't notice the hidden threat in Darien's voice or he was ignoring it. "What are you doing here? Are you looking for that mysterious power level, too?"  
  
"None of your business Briefs! Now leave me alone or else!"  
  
Trunks was a lot like Vegeta: He did not take being yelled at very well. In fact, unless you were his parents, he will behave like a little bastard to you.  
  
"Look! I really don't care if you're in a bad mood or not, I'm here to find something for my dad. In fact, you can act like a baby all you want! Why don't you run to your own mommy and daddy......"  
  
That was as far as Trunks went before he was tackled down and slammed on the ground hard. Darien's eyes were bright red.  
  
"When I want your opinion, I will ask for it! Never, ever, talk about my parents again! They are gone and there is nothing I can do about it." He growled. He was just about to choke him when he suddenly realized what he was doing. His eyes changed back again and his anger was replaced with horror! First Goku, now Trunks! He was really losing control. He should be locked up in an institution for the safety of other everyone else. He jumped off of Trunks and backed away from him, fresh new tears filling his eyes.  
  
"Trunks?" he whispered. "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry."  
  
Trunks got up and stared at the horror-stricken boy. He couldn't help but feel sorry for him. After all, he was a kid, too. And Darien was going through a lot of adult stuff. Then his brain suddenly worked slowly and fast at the same time. Darien mentioned his parents gone, but he knew that wasn't true. He smiled; ecstatic he found a way to cheer up Darien.  
  
"Darien, guess what? Mom found your daddy."  
  
Darien looked at Trunks. "What? You're joking? If you are, I swear I'll." he said, looking at Trunks.  
  
"Nope, I'm serious. We found your dad. He was with us the entire time. Isn't that cool? We knew your father before you."  
  
Darien didn't know what to say. His father was alive! But memories showed that he was killed. A dozen questions formed in his head. For example: "why he was like this?" and "why did he leave him?"  
  
"Well Trunks, who is he?" Darien asked wearily.  
  
Trunks smiled. "How about you take a guess?"  
  
Darien's eyes glowed red and he moved threateningly at Trunks, looking for all the world like he was going to break his neck. He was in no mood to play games. Trunks got the idea quickly. He liked his neck where it was. It supported his head.  
  
"Okay, okay, I'll tell you! Ummm..... You might want to sit down first."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because your dad didn't and he fell flat on his face." Trunks said simply.  
  
While they were talking, Hermes was watching this. Hermes was smart; he knew that he was now dealing with not just the abomination, but with a Super Saiya-jin as well. If he shot the beast now, the demi-saiya- jin would pinpoint the location and make sure he met his maker. Or worse, now that the monster was no longer feeling vulnerable, it will be impossible to kill him without Darien sensing the arrow coming. By then, he could even pick up his ki and vanquish him. So he'd have to wait patiently until Darien felt vulnerable again. After all, he had all night.  
  
In the Son's backyard, everyone of the Z-senshi settled down on the ground to discuss the situation. They were worried about the messenger, true, but they were also interested on the fact that Piccolo was Darien's father.  
  
"So let me get this straight, Darien is your son and also the son of some lady who's Earth incarnated. You don't remember much about her nor do you even recall having a child with her, and even if you did, you have no clue how you can even have a child with her, considering that nameks are asexual and it is impossible to have children with her THAT way, but you had one with her anyway. And because of the fact that you didn't kill Goku or rule the Earth as your father ordered you to do, he's going to do it because you, involuntarily, passed on your memories and order, so that every time he sees Goku, he goes nuts." Yamcha said.  
  
"Yes." Piccolo said distractedly.  
  
"And when Darien saw what he had done, he went nuts and ran away from you because he now believed he was evil and didn't want to hurt us. Not only that, he has all new powers by getting his energy from Earth and has a split personality problem."  
  
"That's about the size of it." Bulma said  
  
"This sounds a little unbelievable. Are you sure this is all true?" Yamcha asked.  
  
Vegeta snarled at him "Do you have a better guess for why all this is happening?"  
  
"And I am quite confident in my skills as a scientist, THANK YOU VERY MUCH." Bulma added icily.  
  
"Nooo, but I was just saying that.... You know, don't jump to conclusions? Look at the facts?" Yamcha stuttered.  
  
"We know enough to be sure it's true. Darien is my son. End of story. Now we have to find him, since the 'light' is on his trail, again." Piccolo said in a monotone voice. He really wanted to find Darien; not because he was his son or the key to his past, but because he realized that even before he knew Darien was his son, he cared for him. Just as he cared for Gohan. He had very few people that he held close in his heart. Gaea, Gohan, and Darien were those few.  
  
"Actually, Piccolo, Yamcha is right. There is something very wrong with your story. I think we should reconsider this." Chichi said softly. She had been listening to Piccolo's story and there were some points that made her wonder why they didn't ask themselves some questions earlier.  
  
Everyone looked at Chichi. She looked a lot like Gohan when he figures out a problem and explains it to people.  
  
"What is it, Chichi?" Goku asked.  
  
Chichi walked up to Piccolo and looked at him in the eye. "Piccolo, Don't you find it a bit strange you, his father, was the first person to find him. I mean, think about it: No one can get into your forest unless they can fly. Airplanes and cars find it impossible to get there due to these high electrical interferences underground. So they have to use ki, but you would have sense them coming, then. Darien was found naked and in the middle of your forest. But, according to you, there was no sign that he traveled there or any sign that someone brought him here. From what I can conclude, it's like Darien appeared out of nowhere. But I've also concluded that the forest is also the only other place you hang out in, aside from the Lookout tower. So, someone knew you would find him there."  
  
Everyone gaped. But then, Gohan had to get his intellect from someone. Chichi looked at Piccolo's reaction. He seemed to have come to the same conclusion.  
  
"Also, there is the matter of the fact of those memory wipeouts." She added.  
  
"What about them?" Piccolo asked.  
  
"Think about it, you said Darien's memory has been tampered with, right?"  
  
"Right."  
  
"Now, you come in and tell us your memories have been tampered as well. And those memories happen to be of Darien's mother. Do you really believe that it's a coincidence? "  
  
Piccolo's eyes widened, then he closed his eyes thoughtfully. He wondered why he didn't ask these questions himself? More importantly, why was Chichi asking them? Chichi had made it very clear in the past that she wanted her and her family to have nothing to do with the "monster". Maybe she thought that Darien was more important then her beliefs.  
  
But what amazed him was that Chichi was right! Something fishy was going on here. Then his eyes shot open. "Oh Kami! I'm such an idiot! Why didn't I see this before?!" he snarled as he slapped his forehead.  
  
"What is it?" Krillin asked.  
  
"I just remembered something strange about my mind. The telepathic imprint!"  
  
"What's that?" Gohan asked.  
  
Chiatzao answered that. "When someone enters your mind, they, normally unintentionally, leave a tiny signature of themselves, like a fingerprint on a greasy table."  
  
Piccolo nodded. " And I just remembered: The imprint in Darien's head matches the one in my head."  
  
Bulma gasped. "You don't mean."  
  
"Right! Whoever wiped out my memories, was the same person who wiped out Darien's." Piccolo said sternly. Now he was pissed off. It was one thing for some sicko to wipe out his memories, but his son!! Now it was personal.  
  
"Are you sure it could be the same person?" Yamcha asked.  
  
"It is. The imprint matches Darien's perfectly."  
  
"And it's like a fingerprint, no two imprints are the same." Chiatzao added.  
  
"But why would they wipe out yours and Darien's memories?" Goku asked. "It doesn't make any sense."  
  
"I know what you mean, Dad." Gohan mused while crossing his arms. This mystery was becoming more mysterious then ever. Instead of the clues shedding some light, they were left more in the dark then ever. Most of them didn't think things could get anymore confusing until Tien spoke up.  
  
"Can I say something?" Tien said.  
  
"As long as it's not going to leave us more confused then before." Eighteen muttered.  
  
"I'm afraid it will. Piccolo, you say that you knew this Gaea before your big fight with Goku? Have you ever met her again?"  
  
Piccolo shook his head. "No."  
  
"So, the only time you met her was in those missing memories. That is the only time you saw her, right?"  
  
Piccolo nodded. Tien looked very confused.  
  
"Why do you ask? Is there something wrong again?" Piccolo frowned.  
  
"One last question, how old is Darien?"  
  
Piccolo lifted an eye ridge. "Six or seven years old, why is that important?"  
  
"Namek! Are you naturally slow at math, or something? Even Kakarrot has figured it out before you." Vegeta sneered.  
  
Piccolo frowned, not appreciating Vegeta's tone. "What is it, Vegeta?" he asked sharply.  
  
Vegeta smirked. "Darien is six or seven years old, but that would mean he was born after Cell's defeat, but you met that woman in the past before your pathetic attempt to kill Kakarrot. If that was true, then he should be around 18 or 19 years old. And we all know that you and the woman are the brat's parents." He frowned. "So how is it possible? That's what I'm asking."  
  
For a moment, Piccolo thought his mind would go into an overload and leave him in a coma. Now there was a real question. Why was Darien this young, when logic pointed out that he should be older? He didn't have any answers to his questions, and if there's one thing Piccolo hated more then anything, was being confused.  
  
Yamcha grabbed his own head. "This doesn't make any sense! Just when we figure something out, we're left more confusing results."  
  
Everyone nodded with agreement. Marron looked at everyone and then pulled her dad's shirt.  
  
"Daddy? When are we going to look for Darien? I wanna see Darien!" she said earnestly.  
  
Krillin's eyes widen. "Guys! Forget this for now! Right now we have to worry about Darien. He's out there, defenseless, and there's another winged guy after him."  
  
"You're right, Krillin, but we have to find him first. Who knows where he is right now?" Eighteen said.  
  
"You know what?" A voice interrupted. "I could always contact my leader and ask him to pinpoint Darien's location."  
  
Everyone jumped and turned to the direction of the voice. There was Jedeite, lying on a tree with his hands behind his head and his legs crossed. He was looking at them as if they were monkeys in a zoo.  
  
The Z-fighters were flabbergasted. In all the chaos and questioning, they had forgotten all about Jedeite.  
  
"And that's when Piccolo passed out." Trunks finished. Darien sat there, wide-eyed and his mouth hanging. Piccolo, his father? Well, it does explain a lot.  
  
"I can't believe I never thought of the possibility that Piccolo might be my father. But then why didn't he know?"  
  
"I don't know, Darien. You wanna ask him?"  
  
Darien's eyes narrowed. "No, Trunks! I told you before, I can't go back, I'm a danger to everyone." He snarled. "This is all Piccolo's fault! Why did he have to give me those memories? Why did he have to be my father? Why did he have to be a demon?" He shouted to the heavens.  
  
His anger and accusations towards Piccolo were illogical and irrational. But then again, since when is anger a logical and rational feeling?  
  
The Z-fighters surrounded Jedeite. They were going to find Darien, yes, but not before getting some answers from Jedeite.  
  
"All right, buddy! What exactly are you?" Yamcha demanded.  
  
"I am Jedeite, Master illus..." Tien quickly interrupted him.  
  
"We know that! What we mean is, what species are you?"  
  
He blinked, confused. "If you mean, where was I born, I was born and raised on Earth." He gave a smile greatly resembling the famous "Son" grin.  
  
The Z-fighters were not amused. "If that's true, why is your ki so different from us humans?" Krillin asked.  
  
Jedeite smiled a proud smile. "Because I am the incarnation of fire." He said, with his tone just smug enough for it to qualify as "boasting".  
  
They stared at him. "The incarnation of fire?" someone asked.  
  
"Yes." He said simply.  
  
'Great! More questions to ask! I swear, he and Darien are here solely to confuse us.' Vegeta thought.  
  
"Wait! You mentioned "your leader". Does that mean there are more of you?" Bulma asked.  
  
"Yes. But we do not have the same "ki signature", as you would call it. Now," he said as he stood up and clapped his hands. "Do you want me to find Darien for you, or do you want our newest messenger to do that?"  
  
They were stunned, for a second. "If you can find Darien, then do it." Goku said.  
  
Jedeite gave a bow, the disappeared.  
  
A few moments later, Jedeite appeared at the gates of Time and pushed them open. He just made it through the doorway when he was slapped across the face by a tear-stained Zoisite.  
  
"YOU LOST HIM! YOU LOST OUR PRINCE! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU! I TRUSTED YOU, JEDEITE! I THOUGHT YOU COULD HANDLE THIS JOB! DAMN YOU, JEDEITE! DAMN YOU!" Zoisite started sobbing louder as he collapsed on Jedeite's chest.  
  
"Do you have any idea what you put us through? When Zoisite saw what happened, he was out of his mind with worry and to make matters worse, the messenger found him. And he couldn't help Darien because Darien hasn't passed his test yet. He begged and pleaded to Machalite to help Darien just this once, but Machalite said no. He was determined that Darien passed his tests without any help from those he hasn't proven himself to. And Zoisite has been like this the whole time." Nephlite said as he walked up to Jedeite and nimbly detached Zoisite from him. He seemed more stern then usual. In fact, he looked as if he had spent the past four hours trying to calm Zoisite down.  
  
"Look, I'm sorry I messed up. But this was totally unexpected. Darien was a completely different person. I thought he was possessed."  
  
"He wasn't possessed. I'm afraid it's much graver then that. What we just saw was one of Darien's true natures." Machalite said in a serious tone. He had just appeared out of the mist of the Gates of Time.  
  
The entire place went silent. Jedeite looked horrified, Nephlite's eyes widened and Zoisite covered his mouth with both his hands.  
  
"Are you saying Darien is naturally evil?" Nephlite said with frown. He didn't want to show it, but he liked Darien. However, if he was evil, then they had no choice but to kill him.  
  
"Yes and no. As I told you, that was one of his true natures. You see, Darien is a lot more complicated then we all originally thought." He reassured them.  
  
"What do you mean?" Zoisite whispered. He needed a chair and sake, FAST.  
  
"What I mean is: Piccolo Daimio isn't the only thing residing in Darien's soul." Machalite said smoothly.  
  
Back in the Dragonball Z dimension, Piccolo, Goku, Chichi, Bulma and Vegeta were the only adults still waiting. Goten, Marron and Baby Bra were with them, waiting for the blonde's return. When they decided Jedeite was taking too long, Gohan and the others flew off to find Darien and Trunks. When Jedeite came into view, he looked as if someone had dunked him in ice-cold water. He looked numbed.  
  
"What took you so long, boy?" Vegeta sneered. He did not like to be kept waiting.  
  
"What? Nani? Oh, sorry, I just came from a very difficult meeting with my leader."  
  
"On what?" Goku asked.  
  
"Oh, nothing important. Um, according to my leader, Darien is somewhere in a botanical garden in Ginger town."  
  
"Where?" Piccolo asked earnestly. He was glad he was getting some information.  
  
Jedeite looked confused. "What do you mean, where? How many botanical gardens in Ginger town are there?"  
  
Bulma answered that. "About 72."  
  
Jedeite fell to the ground, anime-style. "We'll never search all those gardens in time to save him." He shouted.  
  
Goku grinned. "Yes, we can! I can use instant transmission! Lets go!" With that said, he grabbed Piccolo, Jedeite and, with some persuasion, Vegeta, and disappeared. Chichi was left salvaging for anything that survived the explosion, and Bulma was left watching the kids. While she was singing a lullaby to Bra, Goten sat looking bored and Marron was worried sick for Darien. She wanted to help but she was too little. Then again, so was Trunks, and he was out there, trying to fight some angel- guy. But being the daughter of an android and an ex-monk had its advantages. While she didn't know how to use ki like her parents, she had her father's craftiness and her mother's street smarts. She had been paying attention to what the adult's were saying and was already applying the information. She knew Darien was in a garden of some sort in Ginger town. She also knew that there are 72 gardens in Ginger town. But which one? If there was one thing she knew Darien loved were flowers, there was no doubt about that. So he must have chosen a specific type of flower to calm him down. She thought, she thought, and she thought. Then it hit her like a brick! ROSES! Darien loved roses more then anything. So which botanical garden had roses?  
  
Marron turned and looked at Goten, who was being lulled to sleep by Bulma's lullaby. She got off from grass and walked up to him. Her foot made a clank sound. She looked down to see a star-shaped locket on the ground. She picked it up and opened it. It played the most beautiful melody. She listened to it for a while before she remembered what she was going to do. She stuffed it in her pocket and walked up to a sleepy Goten. She leaned to his ear.  
  
"Psssst! Goten!" She whispered.  
  
"Zzzzzzzzzz." The half saiyan was more than half asleep.  
  
"Pssst! Goten!"  
  
"Zzzzzzzzzzzz."  
  
"Goten!"  
  
"Zzzzzzzzzzzz"  
  
"GOTEN!" she shouted in his ears.  
  
Goten jolted awake. He yawned and rubbed his eyes. "Oh, hi Marron! How you doing?"  
  
Marron smiled and hoped her puppy-dog act would work with Goten. "Goten, could you do something for me?"  
  
Goten blinked. "Okay, Marron. By the way, what's wrong with your eyes? You look weird."  
  
Marron narrowed her eyes. The puppy approach was lost on this guy. "Could you take me to Ginger town? I want to look for Darien."  
  
"But Marron! Aren't we supposed to stay here?"  
  
"But Darien's in trouble, and Trunks is out there fighting a monster without you."  
  
"Hey, Yeah! I want to fight, too."  
  
"And Darien and Trunks might be sparring without you."  
  
"No fair!"  
  
"So you wanna take me to the garden that has the most roses."  
  
"Okay!"  
  
"Oh wait! I don't know where the garden with the most roses is!" Marron looked like she was on the verge of tears.  
  
"That's okay! I could smell roses a mile away. Come on!"  
  
'A Saiya-jin is cooler then a bloodhound any day!' thought Marron  
  
In Ginger town, Goku and the others were popping in and out of numerous gardens. So far, nothing. They had already gone through a good 34 gardens, but they were not prepared to give up. Finally, Goku noticed several high ki readings a bit more than a mile away from them. It felt like Goten, Trunks, Darien and someone he'd never felt before. The warriors looked at each other and flew straight at it.  
  
10 MINUTES BEFORE THEY FELT IT  
  
Trunks was "Darien, come on! Piccolo is worried about you, my mom is worried about you, my sister is worried about you, my grandparents are worried about you, and as unbelievable as it may sound, my dad is even worried about you. Can you at least tell me what happened? It can't be that bad."  
  
Darien told him. Trunks was shocked. "EVERYONE! YOU ATTACKED EVERYONE! EVEN MY DAD! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? ARE YOU CRAZY? AND YOU HURT MY BEST FRIEND, TOO!!" He would have continued if he hadn't seen Darien lower his head in shame. "Um, like I said, it can't be that bad."  
  
"Trunks! I was this close into killing you! Do you have any idea as to how dangerous I am? I actually took on Goku, Gohan, and Vegeta all at Super Saiya-jin two. I can't go back. Don't you see? I AM a threat to you, just like as that messenger said." He wailed.  
  
"Look, Darien! I don't know who you are, but you are anything but evil. Evil people don't save people's lives, evil people don't buy toys and puppies for girls, evil people don't cry, and evil people don't run away from people to save others lives. I know evil people, Darien, and you are not it."  
  
"How the hell would you know that?"  
  
"You ever hear about Majin Buu? Well, he tried to kill the entire universe because he thought it was fun? You know Brolli? He's one messed up bad guy, he tried to destroy the entire universe too and wanted to kill my dad and Goku just because of something that happened to him in the past. In fact, he's so strong that it took all of us combined to defeat him. And even that's not enough." Trunks smirked. "And even if you are evil because you have demon blood, so what? Did I ever tell you about the Saiya- jin race? They were the most ruthless space pirates in the whole world. Would that make my father and Goku evil? And also, your dad was evil. If he can change, why can't you?"  
  
"Well put. But I doubt even Piccolo.. um. my dad had this kind of problem."  
  
"Darien, just trust me. Can't you just at least see my mom... OH MY GOD! I WAS SUPPOSED TO REPORT BACK! HOW LONG WAS I GONE?"  
  
Darien checked his wristwatch. "About four hours."  
  
"My dad is going to squash me like a bug." Trunks groaned. "Darien, now you really have to come with me! I want to have a reason to why I'm late. Please! My dad is going to kill me, and then my mom is going to kill me! DARIEN! I DON'T WANNA DIE!"  
  
Darien sighed. "Fine! I'll come."  
  
"Shake on it! I really need you on this one, Darien."  
  
Darien sighed in frustration. "Fine!"  
  
He and Trunks reached out and shook hands. It was then that Darien and Trunks let their guard down for just a second.  
  
That was all Hermes needed. He fired as many arrows as possible, making it look like it was raining arrows.  
  
"Faster Goten!" Marron shouted. She was on Goten's back while he was flying in he air looking for a rose garden. His sense of smell had leaded him to the edge of Ginger town. The good news was that they found Darien and Trunks. The bad news was arrows from the sky were attacking them.  
  
"Oh no! Darien!" Marron gasped.  
  
Goten landed and Marron got off of him. Goten ran straight to the source and kicked him in the face. Hermes was sent careening to a wall. Marron ran to Trunks and Darien. She was shocked to see them on the ground with wooden arrows sticking out of their bodies.  
  
"Darien! Trunks! Are you all right?" she asked, worriedly.  
  
Darien and Trunks both stood up and shook the arrows off. There were small bruises and cuts on their chests, arms legs, faces and shoulders, but nothing that looked serious, even to a worried little girl. Apparently, the wooden arrows had very little effect on them. Darien looked up to where the messenger was; his eyes were red and murderous.  
  
"Another one?" he snarled. He was getting really annoyed.  
  
Goten put Marron down and flew over to Trunks. "He's coming back! Let's fuse!"  
  
Trunks nodded. "Right!"  
  
They did the dance. "FU!"  
  
Hermes popped out of the wall.  
  
"SION!" They took a step back and lifted their leg up.  
  
He flew straight at them getting his arrows ready.  
  
"HA!" They glowed and merged.  
  
Hermes did not even slow down when he saw the bizarre transformation.  
  
Gotenks appeared. "HA! HA! HA! So there's another messenger to boot! I won't go easy on you like Darien did to the last." His arrogant gloating was interrupted when Hermes rammed him in the stomach at full speed. The winged Messenger didn't even slow down to gloat.  
  
Hermes released a barrage of ki balls, each one every bit as fast as he was and harder to see. Unable to achieve anything near that kind of speed, Gotenks was smashed repeatedly until there was a ten-foot deep Gotenks-shaped hole in the ground. Hermes stopped; unwisely assuming his opponent was beaten.  
  
Gotenks was back in a second, this time as a Super Saiya-jin level three. He flew straight at Hermes, who disappeared and reappeared behind him and smashed him viciously over the back of the head. Gotenks countered, and managed to grab Hermes' forearm to keep him in place for a punch to the jaw. Hermes came to his senses quickly, and twisted out of the fused demi-saiya-jins' grip.  
  
Meanwhile, Darien was taking advantage of the diversion and made his sword of power appear. He lifted the sword up in the air.  
  
"PEOPLE OF EARTH! LEND ME YOUR POWER!"  
  
In a light display not unlike the formation of a spirit bomb, energy flowed into his sword. When Darien gathered enough energy, he set his sight on Hermes, who was now avoiding Gotenk's ghost kamikazes. He flew straight at Hermes. But this time, the sword wasn't going for its target. Hermes, at the last second, moved aside and Darien hit the ghost kamikazes. The reaction from both the energy ghosts and his powered up sword caused a chain reaction. Darien was blasted backwards and crashed through a wall, out the other side and into the street, leaving him out cold and in a Darien sized ditch, a position in which Gotenks soon joined him. Hermes smiled at his handiwork, but wasted no time. He flew straight at the unconscious Darien. It looked like the end, but then..  
  
"KA-ME-HA-ME!"  
  
"BIG BANG!"  
  
"SPECIAL BEAM!"  
  
"FLAME ARROWS!"  
  
Hermes turned around just in time to see Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo and Jedeite powering up their most powerful attacks.  
  
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
"ATTACK!"  
  
"CANNON!"  
  
"YYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!"  
  
A flurry of energy and fire flew at Hermes. Hermes simply grinned, and pulled out a golden arrow and aimed it at the attack. He pulled back on the bow, and released it. The arrow went right through the attack, splitting it in two. The Z- fighters were stunned for a moment.  
  
"So, You're here. No doubt to rescue the monster. What's this?" He looked at Piccolo. He then laughed obnoxiously. "Ha! I don't believe it! That muscle-head Bartholomew didn't realize that he had the abomination's father in his sight!" he sneered. "It's been a while, hasn't it, Demon King?"  
  
Piccolo raised an eye ridge. "Have we met before?"  
  
Hermes looked like he had been slapped. "How dare you! I can understand it has been years, but I have managed to remember you and that traitorous Earth bitch. You should have enough respect to remember me." He exclaimed, insulted.  
  
"Sorry, pal. I don't remember at all." He smirked. Then he leaned and whispered to Jedeite's ear. "Should I remember this guy?"  
  
"I don't know! I barely skimmed your memory banks, but you've obviously met him with my Queen." He whispered back.  
  
"How could you not remember me? You and Gaea are the reason as to why our beloved 'light' was banished in the first place!" he shouted, waving his hands up and down angrily.  
  
"Enough talk! We fight NOW!" Vegeta, always the diplomat, announced.  
  
Hermes bowed mockingly at them. "As you wish." With that said, he disappeared and was in front of them, they were so shocked by his speed that they barely registered that he kicked them. They were able to stop themselves from crashing into anything, rose themselves up, and floated three feet from the ground. Goku went Super Saiya-jin three, Vegeta went Super Saiya-jin two and Piccolo powered up to his maximum. Jedeite lifted up his hand and shouted: "BY THE POWER THAT EARTH HAS BESTOWED ME WITH, I SUMMON MY ELEMENT!" Fire engulfed Jedeite and melded to his body, revealing his knight suit. He pulled out a sword made of fire and charged at Hermes.  
  
Marron, meanwhile, ran to where Darien was. She pulled the rocks off him and started shaking him. Darien's eyes shot open and he jolted up. His eyes were glowing red and his upper lip was curled up. He grabbed Marron by her arms and pulled her close to his face.  
  
'Kill her!' his brain urged.  
  
'No!' his heart countered.  
  
'Kill her! She has gotten in our way for the last time!'  
  
'Never!'  
  
'But I already have full control over you! I can feel the hatred in you. The violence, the need to shed blood, even if it's your own! Admit it, you can never take Goku's life if she's in the way! Now KILL HER!'  
  
"Darien, are you okay? I came here to help." She said. She didn't like that creepy look in his eyes. In fact, she was a little creeped out. "Darien, you're hurting me!" she shook her arms free and fell backwards on the ground. When that happened, the star locket fell from her pocket. She saw it, picked it up, and showed it to Darien. "Darien, is this yours? I found it on the floor."  
  
Darien looked at the locket; once again he was attacked by unknown memories.  
  
"Darien! Stop it! Please! It's me! Serena!" shouted a blond pig-tailed girl in a sailor fuku. She was avoiding his sword and attacks. They were in a black throne room, him standing, her now kneeling, with marooned-haired woman who somehow had the air of a queen and reeked of negative energy. He knew, somehow, that was fighting for that Queen.  
  
"Please, Darien. Try to remember me. Try to remember our love. Please, Darien!" she pleaded. She pulled out her locket and opened it. "Look, Darien. Remember this? You gave this to me. "Till we meet again," you said." She said, tears falling out of her eyes. She kneeled and showed him the locket, while it played the song. Darien stared at it, sword still over her head. He listened to the music. Slowly, very slowly, he came to his senses. He reached out to touch the locket. He was hit by a bright light and brought to his senses. That's Serena! His love! His betrothed! His destined wife!  
  
"Serena?"  
  
And Darien returned to the present.....  
  
"Serena?" he whispered. He looked down at Marron. He walked up to her. Marron thought he was going to hit her so she put her hands in front of her face. She was shocked to feel a hug, instead. She looked up to see Darien with tears of happiness in his eyes. He smiled a warm smile and kissed Marron softly on the lips. Marron turned beet-red and her pigtails stuck straight back. An explosion in front of them destroyed the moment for them. Jedeite climbed out of the hole. He looked at Darien and Marron, wondering if he missed something. Darien looked at Marron and realized he wasn't holding Serena. He then turned to Jedeite.  
  
"Having trouble?" he asked. He let go of Marron, who was blushing like crazy and hadn't moved since that kiss.  
  
"He's too fast! We can't beat him if we can't even hit him! And he's not even tired from this while we are all exhausted."  
  
Darien looked around. No wonder Hermes had an upper hand. This place was immense! There was enough room for a football stadium and a couple of malls. Not to mention that the grass was well cut and there was a pavement for sprinting. It was an ideal terrain for a runner. Suddenly, Darien was hit by an idea.  
  
"Jedeite! Round everybody up! I've got an idea!"  
  
"I hope it's a good one!"  
  
"Me too."  
  
Jedeite signaled for the rest of the group to retreat. Some of them looked confused and at least Vegeta looked angry, but they complied.  
  
"Goku! Take us to the nearest ice rink. And make sure it's an enclosed space."  
  
Goku didn't get it, but he was willing to try anything. He scooped up the shocked Marron, and teleported himself and everyone else out of there. Hermes was shocked by that sudden action. But he planned on finding them again.  
  
The Z-fighters sat waiting for him for 15 minutes. Either he couldn't feel ki or he decided to take his sweet time. They were becoming impatient.  
  
"The fastest man in the world is taking his time now!" Vegeta muttered.  
  
"What's your plan?" Goku asked, trying not to slip on the ice.  
  
"You'll see. (Physics, don't fail me now.)" Darien said.  
  
There was a crash from a nearby window and Hermes appeared. "So, you thought you got rid of me. " he gloated "Now I'm going to finish you off quickly, staring with you, monster."  
  
Darien was getting really tired of being called that. "Bring it on!"  
  
Hermes flew in the air...and crashed. He stood up, stunned and confused. He tried again, no such luck. He stood and checked to see what was wrong. His wings were fine, but not at all suited to flying here. He cursed silently. He didn't take very long in doing so, but it was enough time for Darien and all his friends to launch their first attacks at him. The damage was limited to small bruises and cuts only, but there was enough to cause considerable pain to the Messenger.  
  
The now injured Hermes tried to rush at them, since it would take a lot more than small wounds to slow him down, but most of them were ready, and contact with the ice meant he couldn't stop. He slid across the arena and crashed through a wall. He tried to stand up and run again, but then slipped on the ice. Piccolo couldn't believe their luck!  
  
"Alright guys! All together, now! Your most powerful attacks!" Goku ordered.  
  
"KA-ME-HA-ME!"  
  
"FINAL!"  
  
"SPECIAL BEAM!"  
  
"EARTH BOMB!"  
  
"GHOST KAMIKAZE!  
  
"FLAME ARROWS!"  
  
Hermes looked up from the ground just in time to see the stern faces of the Z-fighters. They were going to make this attack count.  
  
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
" FLASH!"  
  
"CANNON!"  
  
"EXPLODE!"  
  
"ATTACK!"  
  
"YAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
"AAAAHHHHHH!!!" Hermes screamed in terror. The attacks slammed him backwards and into the ground. When the smoke cleared, the Z- fighters saw nothing but a big smoldering hole. There was no sign of Hermes.  
  
"Well, that's that!" Gotenks bragged. Then he started shaking and split into Goten and Trunks.  
  
"I still don't get it, why couldn't he fly?" Goku asked.  
  
Darien answered. "I figured that he didn't know how to fly without his wings. And if he was stuck in an ice rink he wouldn't be able to fly at all."  
  
"What do you mean?" Vegeta demanded.  
  
"Birds use thermals, which are columns of heated air, to fly and he had plenty of that in that garden. So somewhere cold would seriously hinder his ability to fly, and a low ceiling made it even more difficult too." Darien said, glad he did a project on birds for Chichi.  
  
Piccolo raised an eyebrow. "And the ice?"  
  
"Being a runner, he needs traction to move fast and stop at will, ice doesn't give you that, it doesn't give you enough friction off, so while he could still move fast, he couldn't stop unless he crashed into something."  
  
Goku, Goten, and Trunks looked confused didn't get it, but Vegeta, Jedeite, and Piccolo had knowing grins plastered over their faces.  
  
"Okay, one more question." Goku said.  
  
"Shoot."  
  
"What's wrong with Marron?" he asked and pointed at the still frozen, still blushing Marron.  
  
Darien blushed fiercely. "Oh, that? Well, I.... kind of... See, I mistook her for someone else, kind of an older woman... and I kissed her. I think she's just stunned."  
  
"You kissed her?" Goku said, incredulously.  
  
"What do you mean you mistook her for an older woman?" Piccolo demanded, looking anything but happy.  
  
"Ew! You kissed her! That's gross, you have cooties now!" Trunks said, making a face.  
  
"Was it on the lips?" asked Goten.  
  
The blush was still on Darien's face. "Yeah." He said softly.  
  
"Yuck! Ptoey!" Goten said, sticking out his tongue in disgusted.  
  
Jedeite snickered. "Darien's a lady's man, now?" he whispered to Vegeta.  
  
Vegeta smirked. "He didn't take that from his father."  
  
"Um, the older woman, Darien?" Piccolo said, his arms were crossed and he was tapping his left foot.  
  
"Her name is Serena, and I think she's supposed to be my betrothed."  
  
"Just how old are we talking here, Darien?" Jedeite's eyes glowed mischievously.  
  
"Ummm... I dunno, fourteen?"  
  
"WHAT! YOU ARE NOT GOING TO MARRY AN OLDER WOMAN! I FORBID IT!" Piccolo shouted in rage. His eyes widened and he covered his mouth. "Oh no! It's worse then I thought! Being a parent is turning me into Chichi."  
  
The rest of them, Darien excluded, laughed while Piccolo agonized over his "terrible situation." The Namek frowned as a thought hit him.  
  
"Darien, why didn't you tell me you had my father's memories the first time you got them?" he asked fiercely.  
  
They were so deep in their conversation that they didn't notice Hermes climbing out of the rubble, full of rage. He pulled out a golden arrow sent all his energy in it. This arrow was made to kill demons, and one shot was all he needed. He aimed it at Darien's heart. 'This is it! The abomination will die now." He pulled it back on his bow, ready to unleash it.  
  
"AQUARIUS ICICLE, IMPALE!''  
  
Hermes turned around too late to see very big, very sharp- looking icicle heading at him. His face twisted in shock and he was impaled through the chest. The ice spread around his body, freezing him. The Z-fighters were shocked. The figure walked out of the shadows. He was wearing a bright blue knight suit. His helmet had silver wings on each side and so did his boots. On his chest was the sign of ice and on his light blue cape was the sign of Earth. He seemed elegant and graceful. He walked up to the frozen body. "Froze you dead in your tracks." He smirked; them lifted his foot and kicked the frozen form viciously, leaving nothing but broken ice. He normally wasn't a ruthless person, but that bastard tried to kill Darien while his back was turned. Only a coward did that.  
  
The unnamed person noticed Darien; he ran up and grabbed him in a tight hug.  
  
"OH DARIEN! MY SWEET, SWEET PRINCE! YOU DID IT! YOU DID IT! YOU PASSED MY TEST! I KNEW YOU WOULD DO IT! I'M SO HAPPY, I THINK I'M GOING TO CRY!" he gushed, and tightened his grip on the earth prince. Darien thought he was going to get brain damage from lack of oxygen soon if this guy didn't let him go.  
  
"Um, excuse me. Who are you?" Goku asked, looking at the stranger as if he lost it.  
  
"Oh, where are my manners?" he said and removed his helmet, revealing long blond hair in a ponytail and sea green eyes. "I am Zoisite, master strategist and guardian of ice. It's very nice to meet you all."  
  
"You're a girl!" Goku exclaimed.  
  
Jedeite snickered. Zoisite glared at his blond friend, and then at the confused Saiya-jin. "I am not. I just like my hair long, that's all."  
  
Darien finally caught his breath and stared at Zoisite. " What do you mean I passed your test? What test?"  
  
Zoisite leaned and placed Darien down. "The test of intellect is based on using your mind rather then power. Instead of continuing to fight, you assessed the situation and found a way to stop him by removing his greatest assets: traction and thermals. You can defeat an enemy by not just outfighting him, but outsmarting him as well. I couldn't be more proud; I shall stand by your side for all eternity. Oh and here." He pulled out a tiny computer. "This is to contact us anytime you need us. I hope you use it because it's going to get harder from here."  
  
"Um, thanks, I guess." Darien said.  
  
"Now, what do we have here? Oohhhhhh, aren't you a cutie?" he said as he saw little Goten. He scooped him up and rubbed his cheek on him. "He's adorable!" Goten smiled at all the attention he was getting. Vegeta was disgusted at how easily Goten could trust somebody, just like his father. True Saiya-jins don't trust people that easily, like him and his son.  
  
"Just for being so cute and adorable, I'm going to buy you some ice cream!" he proclaimed with a grin.  
  
"Wait! I'm cute and adorable, too! I want ice cream!" Trunks shouted as he ran to Zoisite. Vegeta left eye twitched very subtly.  
  
At the thought of ice cream, Goku's stomach rumbled. "Hey, guys! Let's go home. I'm starving!"  
  
Well, Goku's hungry again. Will he get his meal? Will Zoisite get a haircut? Is Marron going to snap out of it? Find out next time on chapter 10 of "His Path".  
  
Well, hope it was worth the wait for you guys. On the next chapter of His Path, Jedeite and Zoisite are being questioned by the Z-fighters and their questions get answered. Piccolo and Darien have a private conversation together. What's this? Gohan and Videl are going to get married? Hooray! The triumphant return of Tuxedo mask!  
  
Alex Damioh: I got me a ghostenks! It's the sleepy one you see in the majin buu saga. Isn't he adorable?  
  
Ghostenks: zzzzzzzzz  
  
Alex Damioh: Goten's a little cutie too... I like how emotional Zoisite was. How sweet! Daimio's memories sure are getting in the way. I wonder if we'll ever see him?  
  
Dlgs: Again, I would like to thank Almaseti. You've been a big help. 


	10. Chapter 10: The Return Of Tuxedo Mask

Chapter 10 is up and ready. Hope you like it. This will have a little romance and humor involved.  
  
Alex Damioh: I'm so happy. I didn't think people actually read my disclaimer. Well, BEHOLD:  
  
Disclaimer:.. um.I'm still too lazy.  
  
Goten: Hmmm. That's not fair; you promised.  
  
Alex Damioh: Well, let me see you try!  
  
Goten: okay. * A grand stage appears and flashing, bold letters that read Disclaimer above Goten's head* Disclaimer: *it echoes in the hall, orchestra starts playing music* The Author of this story does not own DBZ, Sailor Moon, neither any of it's characters. They were used without permission. DBZ belongs to Akira Toriyama and Toei Animation and Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi and Toei Animation as well. Thank you. *An audience cheers*  
  
Alex Damioh: I never get a stage or an audience. (  
  
Goten: I guess it's 'cause I'm adorable. ^_^ Welp, I better get back.  
  
Chapter 10: The Return Of Tuxedo Mask  
  
Gohan, Videl and the rest of their group had just returned from their search when the team including Goku and the others had landed. They were stunned to see them injured and exhausted.  
  
"What happened? We felt your ki levels rise, but we were too far away to do anything." Gohan said as he and Videl landed. Videl had run into Gohan during the search for Darien, and was fingering a thin gold band on her finger nervously.  
  
She and Gohan had an announcement to make.  
  
"We found Darien and the Messenger. The Messenger's been taken care of, by the way. And we seem to have picked up another one of these." Piccolo said, jerking his head to indicate Zoisite and rolling his eyes at the last word. "This is Zoisite. He says he's the guardian of ice and another one of Darien's royal guard."  
  
"He said that he was testing Darien before he saved him." Goku added as he handed a sleeping Marron to Krillin. "I still don't understand what's that about? Do you, Darien?"  
  
"Sorry Goku, I'm just as clueless as you." Darien spoke.  
  
"Darien, don't put yourself down like that. No one's that clueless." Vegeta said smugly. He looked at Goku. "Besides the obvious, I mean."  
  
"GOTEN!" a shrill voice called. The assembled fighters turned to see Chichi run up to Goten and hug him. After he was deemed sufficiently squeezed, she turned her attention to Darien and subjected him to the same treatment. They were both spared the force of Chichi's normal treatment since she hugged both of them with her right arm only. She was carrying something with her left.  
  
"Goten, Darien; are you two all right?" she asked earnestly.  
  
"Yeah." Darien said.  
  
"Yeppers!" Goten chirped.  
  
"Are you sure?" she asked. Her left arm shifted.  
  
They both nodded.  
  
BAM! BAM!  
  
She pulled her left hand back and revealed to them her frying pan, which somehow managed to have survived the explosion. She banged them both squarely and unsparingly on the head in one smooth motion. Darien hissed through his teeth and grabbed his head, trying not to scream. Goten rubbed his head and gave a tiny "Ow!". The Z- senshi took a step back, out of the fear that Chichi might hit them.  
  
"Running away like that! Really, Goten, this is something I would expect from your brother. And you, Darien! Do you have any idea how worried everyone was? What with all those winged beasts coming around to kill you! I swear; this is what comes from fighting every moment you aren't sleeping or eating! I knew having you trained was a bad idea!" she shouted. She then turned to the others. Several of them tried to make themselves look smaller.  
  
Fortunately for those involved, Gohan quickly changed the subject. "Hey Dad? Now that Darien's safe and all, how about we get some explanations out of Jedeite and Zoisite?"  
  
"Hey, yeah! All right, you two! We have some questions to ask and you're going to answer them, see?" Goku said, putting on a very bad imitation of a gangster's voice. Everyone sweadropped.  
  
"You're a disgrace to all Saiya-jins, do you know that?" Vegeta said. Goku laughed and placed his hand on the back of his head.  
  
"We want you to answer some questions. We want to get things clear so we know who Darien is and why the 'Light' wants to kill him." Gohan explained.  
  
"And if we don't want to answer your questions?" Jedeite said, slowly.  
  
"Then we proceed to beat the living daylights out of both of you." Vegeta must have found this statement highly amusing.  
  
Jediete looked around. Vegeta probably wasn't going to let this go, and it didn't seem as though anyone else was willing to stop him. Zoisite seemed to be thinking the same thing.  
  
"All right, fine. But we can't answer everything, even if you DO beat us up. Sorry. Orders from above. You know."  
  
"'Orders from above'? Who?" Piccolo asked.  
  
"Queen Gaea of Earth."  
  
Piccolo looked as though he'd been slapped. The impact of that statement wasn't lost on Darien, either. "Who's Gaea?" he asked.  
  
Piccolo looked at him. "She's the queen of Earth. She's also your mother." Piccolo said. Darien looked at Piccolo as if for the first time.  
  
"Correction: She was the Queen of Earth and she was Darien's mother." Jedeite explained.  
  
Piccolo turned and glared at him. "What do you mean 'was'?" He demanded.  
  
Jedeite sighed sadly while Zoisite pretended to be fascinated by the stars in the sky behind him, trying to hide the tell-tale watery buildup under his eyes.  
  
"What I mean is, Gaea is no longer among the living. She died August 5, when Darien was 6." Jedeite said. He didn't' want to be the one to say this.  
  
"What are you talking about? You just said that you take orders from her." Piccolo raged. What were they trying to pull?  
  
"That does not stop her, obviously. We've been in contact from her from Elysion for months." Jedeite said, understanding his anger.  
  
Piccolo's eyes widened in shock, rage, and sadness. Darien was shocked and sad, too. He never knew his mother, and now any hope of knowing her was gone. The Z- senshi tried to look sympathetic. Vegeta didn't say a word, as usual, but Darien noted the slight change in posture and general softening of the features.  
  
"How did she die?" Darien asked. "Did she die honorably in battle? Was she murdered? Did her friends betray her, or...?"  
  
"She went into a mental breakdown and was killed from inside her brain. According to the reports, they claimed she used her powers to kill herself this way. When they found her body, they found her ears bleeding and an expression of pure horror." Jedeite said. This time he seemed fascinated by the stars as well. The subject of his Queen was never a happy one for him.  
  
"What? Why?" Piccolo asked. Why would Gaea kill herself? From his dream and what little he remembered, he knew Gaea loved life.  
  
This time, Zoisite answered that. "She couldn't do it anymore. She couldn't live the life she was given. Following what fate and destiny put in front of her, being queen at the age of 13, trying to end an age-old war with the Lunarians, being married to a man she hated, and having a child that was not her husband's, which would result in a child's death, especially if the child was half-demon. It was too much for her. Piccolo, please do not see her as a coward. She was a wonderful queen, a fine warrior, a compassionate mother, and a good friend, at least according to my father, who served under her."  
  
Piccolo's face remained stone-like. There was no way he was going to break down and cry in front of everyone. He'd be damned before he let anyone see him like this.  
  
"Wait a minute!" Vegeta started counting in his head. "Didn't you also die that day?" Vegeta said, looking at Piccolo. Piccolo's eyes widened. He did die on that day.  
  
"Um. Am I missing something?" Jedeite asked.  
  
"14 years ago, we were fighting the Saiya-jins who decided to come to our planet to use the dragonballs to wish for immortality. Such a thing would've resulted in the destruction of the universe. They had already killed Yamncha, Chaotzu, Piccolo and Tien. Since Piccolo was connected to the dragonballs, they were useless, and we had to travel to the planet Namek, and..." Bulma sighed, "Well, we really don't have time to tell you the whole story. But Piccolo died, and then he got brought back to life".  
  
"Oh." Jedeite said. "That's strange. That Piccolo would die the same day that our queen would."  
  
"I don't think it's that strange." Gohan said. "Zoisite, what time did Gaea die?"  
  
Zoisite made a yellow paper appear. "According to the reports, she died at 3:16 pm."  
  
"Do any of you know, what time Piccolo died?"  
  
Bulma blinked. "Um, Gohan, the odds of anyone knowing the exact time as to when Piccolo died would be..."  
  
"3:15 pm." Vegeta said.  
  
Everyone looked at him.  
  
"What? I can't take pride in my work?" He shrugged. Zoisite looked vaguely nauseated.  
  
"So she died one minute after you, Piccolo."  
  
"What's your point?" Piccolo asked.  
  
"Piccolo, if you loved her enough to have a child with her, most likely you have a telepathic link with her like you have with me. So, she may have known about your death when it was cut off."  
  
"So, most likely she killed herself because of me." Piccolo said, now getting it. "Its my fault she's dead."  
  
"No it isn't," Zoisite said sternly. "Her death was bound to happen. She was proud if being a princess, but loathed her husband and the other sailor scouts. Her husband, Lord Reginald, made her life as miserable as possible by never being there for her and never respecting her skills and abilities. And despite the fact that the Earth was no longer at war with the moon, the sailor scouts refuse to trust her in any way and always reminded her where she stands with them. Her only true friend was Queen Serenity, but that friendship wasn't enough to save her. Kind of ironic, because they were mortal enemies since birth. Strange, huh? Your only friend should have been your sworn enemy."  
  
"Not that strange." Goku said, looking at all his friends.  
  
Vegeta rolled his eyes.  
  
"Still, it could have been avoided." Piccolo said, sadly.  
  
"Alas, the gods giveth and the gods taketh away" Zoisite sighed.  
  
Jedeite decided to change the subject, seeing that it was depressing everybody. "So, what are dragonballs and how come you had to go to another planet to bring them back?"  
  
Krillin explained. "There are seven dragonballs, you have to collect them from all around the world to call upon the Eternal Dragon to get your wish. The dragonballs, however, are useless if the creator of the dragonballs is dead. That was the case with Piccolo; who was once one with Kami; who created them. When he died, so did Kami and the dragonballs were inactive. So we went to Piccolo's home planet, Namek, so we could use the bigger and better dragonballs. We brought Piccolo back and our dragonballs were active again."  
  
"I see." Jedeite said, not quite getting it. Zoisite sort of got it.  
  
"I understand. The dragonballs are like the talismans the Sailor scouts have. They grant your heart's desire as well as others' if they wish it. Darien has one as well."  
  
Krillin blinked.  
  
"What are the 'Sailor scouts'? You mentioned them once or twice." Yamcha asked.  
  
"Female warriors. In our dimension, we have a queen on each planet, even Earth. The females of the royal lines had a lot of power, and it was very rare to see a male born in the family. The women got their power from the planet they were born on or rule. The gods themselves gave them their powers and talismans. The sailor scouts are the most powerful warriors in the universe. And the strongest one was Darien's betrothed, known as the moon princess, later queen of the stars or Sailor Cosmos, although originally as Sailor Moon."  
  
"Female warriors! What is the universe coming to?" Vegeta muttered.  
  
"If that's true, then what about Darien?" Bulma asked.  
  
"Like I said, it's very rare to see a male in the family. Darien was a bit of an oddity, actually. Possibly it had something to do with being half-demon?" Zoisite said.  
  
"That's another thing, how was Darien born?" Yamcha said.  
  
Jedeite blinked, then grinnned. Then he made Barbie and Ken doll appear. "Well, Yamcha, when two people meet and fall in love, they decide to..."  
  
"We know how babies are born, but how was Darien born?" Yamcha said, hotly.  
  
"........Please specify." Zoisite said, frowning.  
  
"Piccolo is asexual. He can't have children. In fact, Piccolo shouldn't even have felt love for Gaea." 18 stated.  
  
"Oh." Jedeite said.  
  
"............."  
  
"............."  
  
"Hey Zoi, What's 'asexual'?"  
  
The Z- team fell over.  
  
Zoisite sighed. "It means that Piccolo is neither male or female. Nameks make children by egg-laying."  
  
"Oh, well, how was Darien born, then?" Jedeite said, scratching his head.  
  
"That's what we're asking you!!!" the Z-senshi shouted.  
  
"We assumed that it was done, naturally." Jedeite said, looking just as confused. "We didn't even know that Darien was Piccolo's son until Machalite told us."  
  
"Who's Machalite?" Darien asked.  
  
"He's our leader and friend. He has been watching over you."  
  
"Then I wish to meet him." Darien said.  
  
"You can't. Not until you've proven yourself to him." Zoisite said.  
  
"That's another thing. Why should Darien prove himself to get your loyalty?" Tien asked.  
  
Zoisite shook his head. "I'm afraid we can't answer that question."  
  
"Okay, I've got one. Why did Piccolo find Darien in his forest without any clothes or anything?" Chichi asked.  
  
"Because Queen Gaea knew that Piccolo would be there to find him, and his clothes didn't fit anymore so they disappeared." Jedeite answered.  
  
"What? My mom abandoned me? Why?" Darien said, looking very hurt.  
  
"No, Darien. She didn't abandon you, she just left you in your father's care until you pass..." Jedeite was violently elbowed in the side by a peeved-looking Zoisite.  
  
"Until he passes what?" Goku asked while helping Jedeite off the floor.  
  
"Nothing." Zoisite said quickly.  
  
"No! Not "nothing"! Until he passes what?" Piccolo said angrily.  
  
"Sorry, we are not at liberty to say." Zoisite answered.  
  
"Okay," Tien interrupted. "Can you at least tell us why Darien is six years old when he should be in his twenties?"  
  
"That we can tell you. You see; Darien was, last time I checked, twenty years old."  
  
"WHAT!" They all shouted, but not as loud as Darien.  
  
"Yes, but her majesty saw to it that Darien was trained in this body." Zoisite said. "Her majesty also wanted to make sure that Darien had a happy childhood."  
  
"What do you mean a 'happy childhood'? Didn't Darien have a one?" Chichi asked.  
  
"Not exactly, no. After Gaea died, Darien's life went downhill from there. He was always alone because everyone was too busy to talk to him. His stepfather was even worse on him and would jump at the chance to attack him verbally. We don't know whether it was because he hated his wife enough to take it out on him or somehow he suspected Darien wasn't his son. But he saw to it that Darien's life was as miserable as possible. He did not gain any friends until the he was 16. That's when he met," Jedeite made a little twirl and bowed. He made his goofiest smile ever. "ME! Oh, and the others." He said tilting his head at a sweat- dropping Zoisite. "After Gaea's death, Serenity made an offer to the king that to solidify the alliance between the Earth and the Moon, the prince, Darien, and princess, her daughter, of both kingdoms would marry. I don't doubt that she wanted to help Darien as well."  
  
"Oh my." Chichi said. She grabbed Darien in a tight hug as if to absorb all the terrible memories away from him. Despite it being full- force, Darien didn't even acknowledge the hug.  
  
"After Darien was betrothed to Serena, his life improved from there, because he fell in love with her, so much so that she meant more to him than his life. He has even proven it on occasion. They would have lived happily ever after. But unfortunately, fate did not smile at us that day. That evil bitch Queen Beryl, ruler of the negaverse, had captured us, the royal guards. We were brainwashed to betray our prince and take over the moon kingdom. The battle was hopeless. Not only did we kill the legendary Sailor scouts, but also we killed our Prince, Endymion and moon princess Serenity. Just when the negaverse would have killed us all, the Queen Serenity used the Imperial silver crystal to trap the negaverse and reincarnated us all to the future in our earth. So we all became reborn again as humans. Unfortunately, once again, it did not sit well with Darien."  
  
"Don't tell me Darien's human parents were cruel to him as well." Yamcha said  
  
"No. Darien's parents loved him very much, but they didn't last long. On the fifth of August, they were going for a family drive. Unfortunately, Darien's parents were thrown off the road and killed. Darien survived, but his parents weren't that lucky. He had lost his memories from the crash. He spent his childhood in the orphanage. The children tormented him and he had almost no friends, so when he left the orphanage at the age of eighteen, he was antisocial. In fact, he made Vegeta look positively gregarious."  
  
Chichi tightened her hug on Darien as if she feared she might lose him to a life of cruelty. Piccolo was just as stunned. He knew what it was like to live all alone and have no friends, but that was mostly self- imposed, and had changed a lot in the last four years. Darien had been on his own for twelve years. It's a wonder he turned out so well.  
  
"Darien's parents died on the 5th, the same day you and Gaea died. That's just a coincidence, right?" Bulma asked, hoping deeply it was.  
  
"No. I'm afraid not. In fact, Darien, there's something you should know about your parent's car accident." Zoisite said.  
  
Darien looked up. "Yes?"  
  
Zoisite walked up and kneeled down so that he looked Darien right in the in the eye. He brushed a few strands of his hair aside tenderly. "It wasn't an accident. It had been done on purpose."  
  
Darien felt his body grow cold. On purpose?  
  
Zoisite looked at him sadly, close to tears. He had to tell him quick or he'll break down soon. "You are now aware of the Light's presence. Well, they had been your enemy since you were born. Your parents were trying to take you to a nice family drive to town. But on the way there, they had been taken over by the 'Light'. They drove off the street and off a cliff. It was a fifty-foot drop, would have killed you if you were an ordinary human. Good thing you weren't. At the last second, you made a shield around your body. It saved you. But in the process, you were blasted out of your car and fell head-first on the ground, where you awakened in a hospital, orphaned."  
  
Darien was stunned for a second. "The 'light' took over them, how?" he asked.  
  
Jedeite spoke. "Ever wonder how messengers are born? The 'light' has a special technique called 'purifying'. It causes the victim to be completely filled with what they consider purity, discarding all "darkness" in them. They become so pure that if they see any sin, they become berserkers and destroy it, all in the name of the 'light'. That's what happened to your parents. They were convinced that you were evil they tried to kill you, they didn't care if it took their lives, too."  
  
The Z-senshi were appalled. It never occurred to them that the Messengers were victims of the light, too. It wasn't right that the only way of handling them was a fight them to the death.  
  
"But that doesn't answer my question." Bulma said, breaking the silence.  
  
"Well, you see, they chose that day to attack because it was the only time in his entire lifetime that his mother's ghost wouldn't protect him."  
  
"His mother's ghost?" she said, her eyes wide.  
  
"Yeah, Darien was always watched over by his mother. The royalty of Earth have traditionally been linked to some guardians of the afterlife, and she was able to keep him safe from harm and send him dreams of the past until he gained his powers as guardian of the Earth. She loses all powers for one day and can't see the living world on August 5th. The day she died. For one day, all danger is opened for Darien. That was all the 'light' needed." Jedeite said.  
  
Chichi seemed to be making headway in the hugging-Darien-to- death department. "Aaaacckkkkkk!!!!!!! Can't breathe..."  
  
"There's something else you should know about this." Zoisite said, nervously.  
  
But Darien had already figured it out. "August 5th is my birthday, isn't it?"  
  
Jedeite and Zoisite looked at each other, more than a little surprised. Finally, they nodded. Darien sighed. He should have known. His parents, past life or present, would die on his birthday and live him alone. 'I must have been born on a bad sign.' He thought.  
  
Vegeta's eyes widened. He remembered who the 'light' was now.  
  
"I think I know a bit about these the 'light' that you don't. I happen to have met them." Vegeta said.  
  
All eyes were on Vegeta, just the way he liked it.  
  
"You do? How is that possible? We don't even know anything about them. The 'light' became inactive before we were even born. We don't even have them in our history books." Zoisite exclaimed.  
  
"Well, the Saiya-jins fought them. They were a nightmare. Fought might not have been the right word. They constantly tried to convert everyone they came in contact with. All of them, obsessed in bringing peace to the universe, only their idea of peace is to have everyone under their control. Some of them were capable of purifying an entire planet at once. Strong warriors who allowed themselves to be purified had their powers amplified and become eternally young. Then they serve the 'light' for all eternity. Those who can't fight are merely put under control by the 'light'. They cannot fight back when attacked, unless ordered to. Completely submissive to beings of higher power. Totally "pure-hearted"." Vegeta spat out the last words.  
  
"What are you so upset about? It sounds like a conqueror's dream come true. You could have easily ruled them. Isn't that what you always wanted?" Tien said.  
  
Vegeta snarled. "It isn't a dream come true. In fact, it's an insult. Do you have any idea as to how humiliating it is to come to a planet, expecting a fight, expecting to conquer and win, only to face an entire plane of people who could care less about their lives? They didn't even scream when they died. Like they had no soul left. Every time we come to a planet recently visited by the 'light', the whole population died without so much as a "Don't." It was sickening."  
  
He continued, crossing his arms in front of his chest and closing his eyes as if trying to keep himself from lashing out. "The messengers of the planet were worse. I remember when I first met one. I was fifteen years old and I was my first solo-purging mission on a planet. Not only are they tough to beat, but also they have an annoying habit of preaching during a fight. 'Vegeta, patience is a virtue.' 'Vegeta, treat all life with respect.'" Vegeta mimicked cruelly " 'Vegeta, perhaps if you allowed the eternal 'light' to claim you, you might be enlightened.' It was that last comment that pissed me off. It was probably what made me angry enough to successfully beat him. I still don't remember a more satisfying kill. Their preaching would sicken even Frieza. I must have blocked it out of my memories. That must be why I didn't recognize the 'Light' sooner."  
  
The Z-senshi didn't know whether to feel sorry for Vegeta or point and laugh at his face.  
  
"The 'light' situation became worse and worse. In fact, Zarbon and Dodoria refused to go to any planet recently infected by the 'light'. Even the Ginyu forces, whom are normally hired to do dirty jobs, flatly refused. They just couldn't stand them. The 'light' even had the nerve to give us an ultimatum: Accept purification or be destroyed. Well, it was a terrible war, but we Saiya-jins came out on top. They swore we would all be destroyed." Vegeta turned his head to his side. "Bastards. Sometimes I wondered if they knew what would happen, or caused it."  
  
"It sounds to me like the 'light' have a Messiah complex. But if they're after evil, why are they after Darien?" Zoisite said.  
  
"The 'light' are after evil and any being with any evil background. Being the son of a demon king has got to be one of the things in their list of 'not pure'." 18 pointed out.  
  
"Then why aren't they after me? I'm the demon king, after all." Piccolo said.  
  
"Yes, and I'm a Saiya-jin Prince. They should be after Kakarrot and me as well. They must know something about Darien that really disturbs them." Vegeta pondered.  
  
"But what could they know?" Jedeite asked.  
  
"They might know about what Darien could do. The 'light' has the uncanny ability to see the future." Vegeta said.  
  
"What do they think Darien is going to do?" Chichi asked.  
  
"We'll have to ask them." Vegeta said, nonchalantly.  
  
Yamcha snorted. "Yeah right. We'll just find one and ask it to tell us their plans. I'm sure they'd be happy to tell us how to kill them, too."  
  
"Exactly." Vegeta said sharply "One of the things those infected by the 'light' can't do is lie."  
  
"Oh." Yamcha said.  
  
"Well, I guess that answers some of the questions. So what do we do now?" Goku asked.  
  
"I don't know about you guys, but I'm going to start training again. These 'Light' guys are bad news." Krillin said.  
  
"Agreed. Bunch of hypocrites. Peace to the universe indeed." 18 said.  
  
"I'll have to go harder on you in your training, Darien. So we'll have to move to my cave." Piccolo said.  
  
"Now, hold on there. I can understand more training, but what about his schooling with me?" Chichi demanded.  
  
The Z-senshi groaned. Here it comes!  
  
"You're right, Chichi. He'll still have classes with you."  
  
If Piccolo started stripping in front of everyone singing, "I'm too sexy for my body", he would not have gotten a more shocked expression from his friends. Even Chichi thought Piccolo needed to lie down.  
  
"Darien is going to be king of Earth one of these days. To do that, he has to be intelligent. I'm not educated in some levels, so I'll need you to broaden his mind." Piccolo said, ignoring the fact that everyone was moving away from him in fear. "And besides, it was because of his studying with you that he was able to save us today."  
  
"Oh. Okay, that sounds reasonable. Oh, wait, Gohan, didn't you want to tell us something?"  
  
Gohan blinked. "Oh, yeah, but I'm not sure if it's a good time, you know, with everything happening to Darien." Gohan said in a sheepish smile.  
  
"It's okay. I'm fine." Darien said with a smile. Gohan sighed. He'll have to tell them sooner or later.  
  
"Well... Videl and I are going to get married." He said. As if to emphasize their point, Videl showed them her engagement ring. The group was quiet. Chichi stared at her son for several seconds. Then she exploded.  
  
"Getting married? But you haven't even finished school yet! You can't get married!" Chichi yelled.  
  
"But mom, I love her. Besides, I have enough credits to put me in a good college and we'll live off campus." Gohan argued.  
  
"No, forget it! I want you to marry and have children, but not now! You have to go to school, get a job, make some money and buy a home first!" Chichi shouted.  
  
"I don't think they have a choice, Chichi." Goku interrupted "I'm starting to think... that, well.."  
  
"What is it?!?" Chichi screamed, causing Piccolo and Darien to wince. Vegeta smirked.  
  
"So that's what it was. A Saiya-jin's nose never lies, and mine says that Gohan has been at Videl's house for a biology lesson, but not one from a school book."  
  
Chichi was staring at Videl with a look that would scare even the devil. "You," she said in a deadly voice, pointing at Videl. "You corrupted my baby. PREPARE TO DIE!!!!!!!!!!!!" She screamed as she chased Videl with her frying pan, attempting to get a good whack at her.  
  
'I knew we should have told my dad first.' Videl thought.  
  
"Mom, please, calm down!" Gohan shouted after his mom. When they finally managed to calm her down, she decided to accept the wedding.  
  
"All right! You two can get married. But on two conditions: I want you to work extra hard at school, Gohan, so you could support Videl and yourself."  
  
"And two?" Videl asked.  
  
Chichi smiled. "I want lots of grandchildren to play with."  
  
Gohan and Videl fell down, twitching.  
  
"Now, we have to prepare for the wedding, we need a wedding planner." Chichi said.  
  
"OH! OH! OH! I could do it. I was supposed to plan the wedding between Prince Endymion and Princess Serenity way back when, and not for no reason!" Zoisite gushed.  
  
"Yeah, you WHINED until...." Jedeite was viciously elbowed again in his still-sore ribs.  
  
"This will sharpen my skills. I'll design the most beautiful wedding ever, no charge. I'll make the decorations, the wedding invitations, get the orchestra, the works." Zoisite said, ecstatically. This has been his dream come true. 'And maybe someday, I can plan mine and Ami's wedding.' Just the thought of it brought tears to his eyes. 'It will be the most beautiful wedding in the whole universe.' He had a mental image of him in a white tuxedo and Ami in a satin white dress with a tiara and veil on her head, holding white roses.  
  
"All right, Zoisite. You can come to Capsule Corp. tomorrow and plan from there," Bulma said. "We can have the wedding at the Hoshino temple."  
  
"Sounds good to me. We'll have to go shopping for a wedding dress. And for Gohan's tuxedo, of course." Chichi added.  
  
"But mom, I can't stay for long, as the "Great Saiyaman" I must protect the city." He said in a deep heroic voice.  
  
"Sorry, Gohan. But as the groom, you are needed. So the world will be out of Saiyaman and Saiyaman2 for a day or two, what's the worst that could happen?" Bulma said.  
  
Gohan thought about this. He imagined a world filled with chaos. He shuddered.  
  
"Well, we have to get going. See you guys tomorrow." Darien said.  
  
"Yeah, see ya!" Jedeite said, trying to follow Piccolo.  
  
"Where are you two going?" Piccolo said, raising an eye ridge.  
  
"With you of course." Zoisite said.  
  
"Not on the lookout tower. Freeloaders are unacceptable." Actually, Piccolo just found Jedeite unacceptable.  
  
"WHAT? You're not taking Darien without protection. He needs us." Zoisite said as he grabbed Darien in a tight hug. Piccolo rolled his eyes. Wonderful, one guardian was lazy and the other was clingy. And there's still two more coming.  
  
"Forget it! You guys will have to find some other place to stay." Piccolo said as he pulled Darien away from them.  
  
"It's all right, guys. I'll be fine. The Lookout tower is a safe place and my dad will protect me." Darien said, diplomatically.  
  
They hesitated. Then agreed. "Very well, Prince Darien. We will see you tomorrow." Jedeite said, formally.  
  
They flew off.  
  
"Now, where are we going to stay?" Jedeite said.  
  
"Ummm. Mister Zoisite," Goten said as he pulled at Zoisite's pants. "What about the ice cream?"  
  
"That's right! I promised you ice cream, didn't I?" Zoisite said, putting his hand on his left cheek in faux surprise.  
  
"Yeah!" Goten and Trunks said.  
  
"All right! To the ice cream shop!" He said, cheerfully. He picked both of them up and placed them each on his shoulders, then he took off in the air.  
  
Jedeite looked at Chichi pleadingly. She sighed. "All right! You and Zoisite can stay at my house until you can find a permanent residence. Bu you'll have to help around the house. Like Piccolo, I don't accept freeloaders either."  
  
"I guess we should be heading home." Yamcha said. "Give us the invitation to the wedding tomorrow." With that, he and the other flew off.  
  
"We'll have to go, too. Marron, honey; Wake up." 18 said, sweetly. Marron stirred in her father's arms when she heard her mother's voice. She looked up and smiled.  
  
"Mommy! Mommy! Guess what? Darien kissed me on the lips."  
  
"HE DID WHAT?!!!"  
  
At the Lookout tower, Darien sighed in his bedroom. With all the things that were going on, he barely had time to think of Gohan's wedding. The Sons hadn't blamed him, the rest of the group were nothing but sympathetic to his situation, and now they had at least a basic idea of what they were up against.  
  
But he still felt like there was something wrong here. He had a distinct feeling that Jedeite and Zoisite had just hinted at what was really going on. There were some things they wouldn't tell him. Changing into his pajamas, he climbed into his bed and fell asleep. Once again, he started to dream.  
  
Darien stood there, staring at the fire surrounding the house. He heard humans screaming inside. 'Oh God! Someone's in there.' He ran straight at the house only to be grabbed from behind by Piccolo Daimio. He smiled and gestured at the rest of the scene. Darien saw a group of people in white clothes displaying obvious joy at the picture they'd created. Burning next to the house was a tall wooden cross. The Klu Klux Klan. Someone jumped out one of the lower-story windows.  
  
"That's me, you know, before Kami rejected me. I was just wandering around, trying to find my place on this wretched planet. I was getting tired, so I just snuck into a farmhouse and slept there. The owners of this house were a black family. If memory serves me, the family consisted of a father, a pregnant mother, and three kids, none of whom were more than fourteen years old. They were having dinner, as I recall, when they were attacked. I wouldn't have minded this at all if I wasn't there at the time trying to sleep. Ahhhh, look at what I'm going to do next." He said with a smile.  
  
The young Namek stood up and snarled at the intruders. He was enraged. NO! He was furious! How dare they! Darien could feel the hatred emitted from his body. He powered up to his maximum peak and started to make a ki-ball. Darien's eyes widened. He turned his head at the KKK, who were petrified.  
  
"GET OUT OF HERE! HE'S GOING TO KILL YOU ALL!" Darien screamed. They may be immoral bastards, but they didn't deserve to die like that. Not like this.  
  
"Oh, they can't hear you, Darien. This is a memory, remember?" Daimio said, his eyes shinning with amusement.  
  
Darien watched them all get torn apart. He watched them all scream and try to escape, but the namek wasn't allow it. None of them survived more than five minutes. Darien could smell the blood they shed, and hear the gurgle of their last breaths. Darien heaved all over his shoes. Daimio, on the other hand, had a sickening smile on his face. He kneeled forward and rubbed Darien's back to make him feel better. Darien had a distinct feeling he was mocking him.  
  
"Admit it, Darien. This kind of thing is satisfying. You know as well as I do that they deserved it." Daimio said.  
  
"It does not!" Darien snarled. But it was half true. Part of him was disgusted by this, yet the other part of him agreed with it.  
  
Daimio smiled. "You're lying through your teeth. That's good. Demons are good liars as well. I'm starting to think that you're not completely hopeless."  
  
"I'LL NEVER BE A DEMON!"  
  
"But you are one. And not just any demon, a demon prince. You should be proud of your heritage. You will make a fine soldier of destruction." He laughed evilly and disappeared in front of him.  
  
"I'M NOT LIKE YOU! I'LL NEVER BE LIKE YOU! NEVER! DO YOU HEAR ME! NEVER!"  
  
"Never! Never! I'll never be like you! Leave me alone!" He mumbled in his sleep. He squirmed and kicked at his sheets feverishly. Piccolo looked down at the boy. Darien's mumbling, no matter how soft, had woken him up. Piccolo could guess what he was dreaming about without reading his mind. He had gone through the very same thing in his youth. He growled angrily. How dare Daimio use his son as a weapon against the world! He would have sworn some more, but Darien needed him now.  
  
"Darien, wake up. You're having a nightmare." Piccolo was about to shake him awake. The minute he touched Darien's shoulder, Darien sat straight up and wrapped his arms around Piccolo's neck, attempting to strangle him.  
  
"Darien!" Piccolo choked. Darien suddenly realized he was awake. He released Piccolo.  
  
"Piccolo? What are you doing here?" he said, not realizing his eyes were glowing red.  
  
"You were having a nightmare. You okay?"  
  
"Yes." Piccolo raised an eye ridge skeptically. "No."  
  
Piccolo sighed. He was new to this father thing. He had no clue how to treat children with nightmares. Even when he was training Gohan, he would call him a weakling for crying over a nightmare. He had a feeling that calling Darien a weakling now would have a bad effect on him. He wished knew more about how to raise children. His father's memories on the subject of children mostly consisted of ways to kill them. Nail's memories were completely useless and everything Kami had known was far too vague, only telling him that they should be raised with as much love as possible. Not that it wasn't helping him. He looked down at Darien. He was shaking in cold sweat and his breathing was still shallow.  
  
"Darien? Why don't you come outside with me? You might feel better." Piccolo offered.  
  
Darien looked up; his eyes were still red, yet they held innocence. If Piccolo didn't know any better, he would have sworn that he was looking at a demon-born innocent. He climbed out of bed with and followed Piccolo out. As he walked, he heard Dende snoring in his room. He had felt bad for knocking him and Popo out. He made a mental note to do something nice for them tomorrow. As soon as they left the building, Darien felt the cool air hit his hot forehead. The red eyes subsided and he started to breathe easier. They just stood there at the edge of the tower. Darien sat at the edge and kicked his legs. Darien looked at Piccolo, who was staring straight ahead. Darien knew he wanted to talk, but Piccolo wasn't going to break the silence first. Darien made a small cough to get his attention.  
  
"Something you would like to say, Dad?" He was getting used to calling Piccolo that. Piccolo looked at him. Darien looked at him expectedly. Piccolo sighed again. He better get this out of his head now.  
  
"You never answered my question, Darien. Why didn't you tell me you had Daimio's memories the first time you got them?" Piccolo asked softly, looking at Darien's eyes. Darien gave him a rueful smile. He should have seen that coming.  
  
"I'm sorry, Dad. It's not that I don't trust you. It's just that.....well...you see... It's complicated to explain."  
  
"You thought that I would treat you like a threat and turn against you." Piccolo said. "You didn't tell me this because you assumed that I was going to see you in a different way, and not a very good way at that."  
  
Darien was surprised. Piccolo understood it better than he himself did. "I'm sorry, Picco... I mean, dad. I'm really, really sorry."  
  
Piccolo smiled and kneeled. "Suck it up, kid. If I were in your shoes I'd probably have done the same thing too. You did the right thing to hold back at first."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"I'm not sure why you attacked Goku this morning, but it would be a good idea to keep you two separate until we teach you how to control your demon. That's why after we move to the cave, you won't be around them for long."  
  
"I understand."  
  
"No more hiding secrets, okay?"  
  
"I promise."  
  
"Good. Now scoot." he said good-naturedly.  
  
Darien, for the first time today, was really happy. He ran back to his room. Piccolo smiled after him and shook his head.  
  
"I'm getting way too soft these days." He muttered. He sat down meditating, all the while doing that, he never noticed the translucent image of a female teenager in a black and white sailor fuku, smiling and crying all the same time behind him.  
  
The next day, Piccolo snapped out of his meditation and walked up to Darien's room, only to find it empty. He then realized that Darien's ki was nowhere to be felt. He walked out to see Mr. Popo watering plants.  
  
"Popo? Where's Darien?" Piccolo asked.  
  
"Oh, Mr. Darien woke up early to help around the Lookout. He said it was the least he could do after he left Dende and me unconscious. Mr. Vegeta flew in and told him Bulma wanted him to try out his tuxedo. When Darien told him he was going to get intense training, Vegeta wanted to see how strong he was now by sparring with him in the gravity room."  
  
"What? Vegeta? Sparring with Darien? We're talking about the same Vegeta that wouldn't fight with anyone but Goku? He's sparring with my son?" Piccolo asked with wide eyes.  
  
"Yes. He seems to have grown rather fond of Darien." Mr. Popo smiled.  
  
"Well, he's going to grow fond of my fist when I get my hands on him! He's got some nerve to come here and take MY son." He shouted. He jumped off the lookout tower and flew straight down to Capsule corp., grumbling all he way there.  
  
Meanwhile, at Capsule corp., "But Zoisite, I look silly." Goku whined. Zoisite had managed to make an appointment with a priest to do the wedding. He had hired security guards to make sure that no one interrupts the wedding, for some reason. He scheduled for a supermarket to send in fresh fruits and vegetables for the buffet and Jedeite was somehow roped into doing the cooking. Now he was making sure that everyone's suits fit them perfectly. And Goku's whining was making that hard.  
  
"This is your son's wedding. You must look the part and ...what is that smell...? JEDEITE! THAT'S NOT THE ROAST, IS IT?"  
  
"Not the roast." Goku said softly, his eyes shiny with tears. It was then that Piccolo made his entrance.  
  
"Goku, where's Vegeta?" Piccolo panted.  
  
"Hi Piccolo! What's up?" Goku said, cheerful again.  
  
"Vegeta kidnapped Darien!" Piccolo shouted.  
  
"Really? I just saw Darien. He seemed very happy. They just went to the G.R. to spar. He also said he had a video tape of you to show him."  
  
"That damn prince is a bad influence to Darien. Darien might pick up his bad habits. I don't need another Vegeta."  
  
Goku smiled an amused smile. "You know Piccolo, I seem to recall Chichi saying that you were a bad influence to Gohan."  
  
"That's different. I'm no longer evil, with Vegeta, you never know. Besides," he lifted his nose up and turned his head up. "I think I was a wonderful example to Gohan in his youth."  
  
"Ha!" Chichi laughed as she walked past them. Zoisite walked out of the kitchen covered in soot with a look of despair.  
  
"Chichi! Jedeite is ruining everything, can you cook for a while?" He looked desperate.  
  
"Of course." She walked into the kitchen She pushed a sooty Jedeite out of the kitchen. She then sprayed him with a fire extinguisher.  
  
"Piccolo, you're just in time for your suit." Zoisite grinned. Goku grinned as well. So, he didn't have to suffer himself.  
  
"Heh, forget it. You're not going to catch me in those suits. I'll come to the wedding in a cleaner gi, thank you very much." He said.  
  
"But the best man must wear a suit. It's tradition."  
  
"I am not going to wear..... Wait, best man?" Piccolo was stunned, and flattered.  
  
"Yes, I want you to be my best man." Gohan said as he came in with his white tuxedo on. It was difficult, but Zoisite managed to brush his spiky hair all the way back.  
  
"Gohan. I'm touched." Piccolo said, a slight blush on his face. Gohan smiled the "Son" grin. It was then that Vegeta came out.  
  
"You!" Piccolo growled at Vegeta.  
  
"Why hello, namek. I'm surprised to see you here." Vegeta smirked.  
  
"Where's Darien?" Piccolo demanded.  
  
"He left with Trunks and Goten. They decided to act as replacements for Saiya-baka." Vegeta sneered.  
  
"Replacements?" Piccolo and Goku asked. They looked at Gohan. He smiled sheepishly.  
  
"Well, you see, with Saiya man out of the picture, I need someone to take over for now." He said putting his hand behind his head. He clapped his hands. As if on cue, Goten came out in a chibi Saiya man outfit. Trunks came in an old Saiya-jin armor and a cape. Vegeta smiled proudly at his son.  
  
"Now that's a superhero's outfit." Vegeta commented.  
  
"But where's Darien?" Piccolo asked earnestly. As if to answer his question, a rose landed near his right foot. Everyone looked up and saw a boy in a tuxedo and black cape. He had a top hat and a mask on his face. A guitar could be heard playing. He smiled and jumped off the stairs.  
  
"I am Tuxedo mask." He stated. Piccolo stared at him.  
  
"What are you wearing?" Piccolo said in shock.  
  
"Oh this? Jedeite said I used to defend Earth this way in my world. Pretty snazzy, huh?"  
  
Piccolo smacked his head. How could this happen to him? First he lost Gohan to this superhero madness, and now Darien? Was Dende doing this to torment him?  
  
The doorbell rang. Zoisite answered it. It was Krillin. "Hey guys! I hope I'm not to late." Krillin said good-naturedly. Everyone said his or her hellos.  
  
"Hey, Krillin, Where's MarRRRRRRRRROOONNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!" Darien screamed the last part when something tackled him on the waist and slammed him on the ground. He looked up to see Marron in a white dress and her hair down and curled at the tips.  
  
"HI DARIEN!" she said cheerfully.  
  
"Hey Marron. What's up?" he asked as casually as he could, catching his breath.  
  
"Nothing. Darien, could you get me a kitten? I saw one in Satan city Pet shop. It's got green eyes, white fur, and a pretty pink ribbon." She asked sweetly.  
  
"Marron, come on. You already have four puppies at home that are eating us out of house and home. And stop asking Darien to buy stuff for you." Krillin said.  
  
"It's okay, Krillin, I don't mind if she asks me for stuff." Darien said. He pulled out a red rose. "Pour toi, mademoiselle." He said in a perfect French accent. Marron giggled and blushed. She took the rose and kissed Darien on the cheek. Goten and Trunks looked at each other in disgust and most of the adults with the exception of Vegeta and Piccolo, thought it was cute. It was then that 18 walked in. she saw the exchange.  
  
"You! You Casanova!" she shouted and stamped toward him.  
  
"MOMMY, NO!" Marron shouted and grabbed her mother's skirt. Krillin ran and grabbed 18 by the waist.  
  
"I promise you two minutes." Krillin said.  
  
"Um, guys let's get out of here, I think I hear danger calling." Darien said.  
  
"We're off! Toot, too, tuuuuuuuuuuu!" Goten went. Hey flew off as fast as they could.  
  
"Don't forget the kitten!" Marron shouted after.  
  
Poor Darien! Will he ever escape 18?  
  
Is Piccolo going to get he hang of being a parent?  
  
Is Gohan going to regret hiring Zoisite?  
  
Find out on Chapter 11 of "His Path".  
  
Hmmmmmm, apparently, I've gotten into making longer chapters. Okay, folks! On the next chapter of His Path, Darien, Trunks and Goten fight a terrorist group. Meanwhile, The wedding has commenced and Gohan forgot Goten was the ring bearer; will he make it in time? Huh? Machlite and Nephlite find something wrong? OH WOW! We get a glimpse from the future!  
  
Hint of upcoming chapter: "The 'Light' is now considered the least of Darien's worries."  
  
Alex Damioh: I can't wait for the wedding! It seems that kami has been going around the world. Maybe we could make a book like Where's Kami and stuff.  
  
Dude: That's a dumb idea.  
  
Alex Damioh: *ignores last comment* Anyways, we have a special guest for today. Bring out Vegeta.  
  
Dude: We only have 20 seconds so lets make it quick.  
  
Alex Damioh: *drags Vegeta out of the green room* If you cooperate then you could leave after the interview. Now, first question.  
  
Dude: What's your full name?  
  
Vegeta: Vegeta, saiya-jin no ouji.  
  
Alex Damioh: What's your favorite movie?  
  
Vegeta: Earth movies are stupid.  
  
Dude: If you don't answer we'll say you like something like Titanic because it made you cry like a baby.  
  
Vegeta: Fine. I like I Know What You Did Last Summer because I enjoy laughing at the humans, their mistakes, and their horrible deaths.  
  
Alex Damioh: O.O  
  
Dude: Do you ever want more kids?  
  
Vegeta: No, I already have a brat and a little angel.  
  
Alex Damioh: What's your favorite ice cream flavor?  
  
Vegeta: I don't eat ice cream. They're fattening and go to your hips.and they're too cold.  
  
Alex Damioh: Last but not least, who's your little buddy?  
  
Vegeta: Kakko.wait a minute! How dare you ask the prince of all saiya-jins such a question!?! I HAVE NO LITTLE BUDDY AND NEVER WILL HAVE ONE!  
  
Goku: Aaaaaw.  
  
Vegeta: -.- What are you doing here, Kakkarot?  
  
Goku: Listening. I'm the sound guy. (  
  
Vegeta: Hmmph. I'm leaving. *Flies out of the studio letting the backdrop fall showing a small, dirty apartment*  
  
Alex Damioh:..Well, I'll see ya in the next chapter! 


	11. Chapter 11: Here Comes Trouble!

Chapter 11 is finally up! I would like to pause to thank all reviewers, old and new ones. I'd also like to answer some questions:  
  
First from Arekanderu, The version of the relationship between Ami and Zoisite is in the mangas. As Endymion was betrothed to Serenity, his royal guards were betrothed to the inners: Jedeite/Raye, Zoisite/Ami, Nephlite/Lita, and Machalite /Mina. They were brainwashed to be evil by Beryl while looking for their prince.  
  
I would also like to say that do to school starting; my chapters won't be here as much as they used to be, so try to be patience, please.  
  
One more thing: Zoisite is NOT GAY! I happen to know many males on TV who are in touch with their feminine side:  
  
Team Rocket James from Pokémon: Come on, he keeps his hair long and is almost always the one dressed up in female disguises. And he's normally the sensitive one.  
  
Larry 3000 from Time squad: Do I even have to explain him?  
  
That pinked haired punk from Tenchi Muyo!: ....... He said he loves Ayeka, so I guess he's straight.  
  
Hercule from DBZ: This man is not afraid to cry in front of people or tell others how he feels.  
  
Takaya from Digimon: This guy has pink armor and his voice and speeches are feminine. But he hasn't hit on anyone male.  
  
We are about to meet the most powerful enemies in both SM and DBZ dimension. You will be most satisfied with these new villains because not only are they powerful, but also they are not what they seem. I'll give you a hint. You've encountered one of them in the TV series, and the other is of my own creation. Well, on with the show.  
  
Alex Damioh: I've decided that disclaimers are overrated.  
  
Gohan: Or maybe you've just ran out of ideas. Oh, and disclaimers aren't trends, they're stuff you're obligated to do if you don't want to get sued.  
  
Dude: He's right.  
  
Alex Daimioh: Nobody asked you. Don't you have a wedding to go to?  
  
Gohan: Oh yeah.  
  
Goten: Trunks, Darien, and me can do the disclaimer for ya.  
  
Trio of Coolness (a.k.a. Trunks, Darien and Goten): Introducing the disclaimer for the story...  
  
Goten: Saiya-Boy!  
  
Trunks: Prince of Wonder!  
  
Darien: And Tuxedo Mask!  
  
Trio of Coolness: The following story does not belong to Alex Damioh or DGLS Princess. Characters in this story belong to Akira Toriyama or Naoko Takeuchi. LONG LIVE THE TRIO OF COOLNESS!  
  
Alex Damioh: You can't add things like that. You're fired.  
  
Trio of Coolness: Whatever. *Flies of*  
  
Alex Damioh: Looks like it's just you and me.  
  
Dude: See ya!  
  
Alex Damioh: Waaaagh!  
  
Chapter 11: Here Comes Trouble!  
  
In the 30th century of Neo Earth, two lone warriors were fighting to the death using martial arts, ki, and of course, magic. It would have been a brilliant light show to the people, if there were anybody alive. On the left was an 8ft tall figure in a black uniform, wearing a cloak over its face. Despite the fact that its face was covered, you can see a pair of red eyes. On the left was a smaller figure. It was in a black and red uniform, floating in the air. The one trait it shared with the other was its red eyes. But unlike the other one, it's eyes weren't glowing. It stared at the other with a look of malice.  
  
"Heh, it appears that once again, we are evenly matched. I hope this doesn't dent your pride?" Figure two snickered.  
  
"You monster! I wanted King Endymion dead, not the entire freaking planet!" Figure one snarled. Figure two laughed at Figure one's anger.  
  
"That's not what's upsetting you, is it? It's because I killed Neo-Queen Serenity. Aaaaaaww, you loved her soooo much, didn't you?" Figure two laughed viciously.  
  
"SHUT UP! I care nothing for her! She was just as guilty as he was by allowing you to live." Figure one shouted.  
  
"But she also allowed you to live as well. Ironic, huh? Everyone expected you to be the monster and destroy the universe. You should have seen the look on the Sailor scouts face when they find out it was me all along! It was priceless." Figure two taunted. Figure one growled at Figure two, making its eyes glow brighter.  
  
"You'll pay for your crimes! I will see to that. I will not rest until I see you dead." Figure one shouted.  
  
Figure two laughed. "If you think you can beat me, then you're wrong. I've got something you don't have: The power of the Golden crystal. Now, if you excuse me, I have a universe to destroy." With that said; the second figure flew off, leaving a very upset being behind. The first figure's eyes glowed brighter. But that wasn't the only thing glowing. Glowing on its forehead was a crescent moon.  
  
In the DBZ dimension, present time, Tuxedo Mask was sitting at a café, drinking cappuccino and reading the Wall Street journal. He had already spent the first five hours saving the day, now he was waiting for Saiya-boy and Prince of Wonder. When they showed up, he gave them a small wave. They both landed and walked up to him. They seemed very disappointed.  
  
"Nothings happening! This place is boring, where are all the bad guys?" said Prince of Wonder.  
  
"I saved a kitten from a tree, but that wasn't a superhero thing, it didn't even have claws." Saiya-boy said, sadly.  
  
"How did your day go?" Prince of Wonder asked.  
  
Tuxedo Mask placed the newspaper under his arm and spoke:  
  
"Well, I managed to stop a bank robbery, I stopped some wild animals from escaping the zoo, I ceased a black market adoption operation, I saved a busload of children from falling off a cliff, I prevented a doomsday attack from a deranged dictator, I destroyed a new-batch of killer androids that were awaken from Dr. Gero's secret underground lab, I obliterated an asteroid that would have destroyed all of mankind, I saved a rare species of dinosaur from extinction, and I helped an eccentric scientist find a cure for cancer."  
  
Saiya-boy and Prince of Wonder stared in awe at Tuxedo Mask.  
  
"I did all this," concluded Tuxedo Mask, "and I still managed to have time to buy Marron that kitten." As he finished that, he lifted his top hat to reveal a white kitten with a pink bow sleeping on his head.  
  
"How come these things happen to you?" Prince of Wonder asked. Why did Tuxedo Mask have all the fun?  
  
"Funny, I asked myself the same question just a minute ago." He muttered and unfolded his paper again. As he read the paper, he read a paper of attacks occurring in the mountains. Villagers claim that monsters come out at night to steal away their children. While the Police don't believe in monsters, they were taking the kidnappings very seriously. But in Tuxedo Mask's humble opinion, they were not trying hard enough. Looks like it was up to the trio of coolness, as Prince of Wonder so nicely named their group.  
  
"Okay guys, how would you like to fight a monster?" Tuxedo Mask offered.  
  
"WOULD WE!" They shouted joyfully. They grabbed each other's hands and danced happily. Darien smiled and placed a tip for the waitress.  
  
In the SM Dimension, Machalite frowned as he stared at the large mirror in front of him. He had been watching Darien for a while and was starting to get a little worried. While the messengers were doing exactly what he wanted and were helping Darien along with the royal test, he wished that he had more information on the 'light'. From what Vegeta said, they sounded very dangerous. He doubted even Sailor Cosmos could stop this threat, as she is the "light" itself as well. Why was the 'light' after Darien, anyway? That he didn't understand. What could Darien possibly do that could cause an entire army of "pure" beings to go attack him? He tried to contact his Queen to see why they were after Darien, but for some reason, she wasn't responding. He had a feeling it was because she knew what he wanted to talk about and was avoiding it. Was the Queen not telling him everything? If that was the case, then he better do some of his own investigating.  
  
"Nephlite!" Machalite called.  
  
Nephlite, who was meditating in another part of the Time Gates, was up and ready. He immediately went to Machalite. He bowed slightly to the waist and placed his right fist on his heart.  
  
"Yes sir?" Nephlite asked, as he stood up tall like a soldier should.  
  
"I want you to consult the stars and find out all you can about Darien and the 'light'. And contact me immediately if you find anything. I don't care how insignificant the information is; whatever you find, you alert me about it." Machalite ordered.  
  
"Aye, aye, sir!" he swiftly turned around and disappeared in the fog.  
  
Piccolo thought the only being who deserved to suffer his wrath was Jedeite. But as he was being fitted in his white tuxedo with Vegeta and Goku, he found that Zoisite deserved it far more. Here he was, standing on a stool while several humans were making measures to his arms and legs. He could feel several hands poking and prodding him and two females finding excuses to touch his butt. He felt like one of Bra's dolls. To top it off, being the best man meant he had to make a speech at the end. He wasn't even comfortable talking in front of all the Z-fighters, let alone a building full of people. And Gohan's schoolmates were coming. In fact, word of the World Champion's daughter's marriage had spread far and wide. It will only be a matter of time before the cameras came in. He sighed. He was going to have to blow them up.  
  
"Oh this won't do. This won't do at all. How can this happen? Poor, poor Videl." Zoisite said, coming in worriedly. He had his hair messy and his clothes were slightly askew. But he took no notice of it. He ran his hand on his hair wearily.  
  
"What's the matter, Zoi?" Jedeite asked. By Zoisite's command, he was reduced to shining their shoes. A job that he found embarrassing.  
  
"Gohan has wedding jitters. He's thinking of canceling it. And I don't know how to break it to Videl," Zoisite said. "Piccolo, you're his best friend, will you be able to talk some sense into him?"  
  
"I might even knock some sense into him. Where is he?" he asked.  
  
"Upstairs, in the dressing room." Zoisite pointed up. Piccolo climbed down the stool and went straight to the dressing room. He opened the door saw Gohan sitting in front of the mirror. He looked like he was having an inner conflict with himself.  
  
"Gohan, what's wrong? Zoisite tells me that you're having second thoughts about this." Piccolo asked. He was stunned to see that Gohan was in tears.  
  
"Piccolo," he began. "I'm not sure if I can do this." He ducked his head quickly. "I can't do it. I don't think I'm ready for this. What if ..." He stopped talking all together. Piccolo had never seen his student so distressed. Wait.... Yes he had. He looked just like that seven years ago when Cell told Gohan he was going to detonate planet earth when he had the chance to destroy him. He walked up and placed his hands on Gohan's shoulders.  
  
"Gohan? Please tell me what you're worried about." He asked. He couldn't bear seeing his old student this way.  
  
"Piccolo. I'm scared. I'm not going into a battle or facing an enemy. That I can handle. I'm going to marry someone. I'm going to be away from my mom and dad. I'm going to live my life away from them. I won't spar with dad anymore; I won't be seeing the rest of Goten's childhood. I won't see my mom as much and my friends and......you. Piccolo, I just realized I'm not going to see you as much as I used to. I love Videl, but marrying her means some major changes."  
  
Piccolo smiled. Gohan was afraid of the future. What it will do to his friends. Gohan wanted things to stay the same. But Piccolo knew that things couldn't stay the same forever. As much as he enjoyed having Gohan around, it was time to let him go and face his destiny.  
  
"Gohan, I know you're scared and worried for the future. But don't worry. You're going to do great. You're going to make a fine husband for Videl, I promise. You have achieved beyond the expectations of any warrior I've ever met. You're smart, brave, dedicated, and would do anything for the safety of the universe. You even managed to change me into a better person. You can do this, Gohan; you have already faced so many challenges and beaten them all."  
  
"But Piccolo...."  
  
"No buts. I know our relationship hasn't been the same since Cell's been destroyed. But we all have to accept change when it comes. Nothing stays the same. You have to start a family of your own; and I have a son right now, who needs me more then you. I promise to come and visit you as much as possible. Do not cancel this wedding. You love Videl more then anything; I know you do. If I let you stop the wedding, you're going to be regretful about it. I know it. So please, Gohan. For me, go through with it."  
  
"Thanks Piccolo. What would I do without you?"  
  
"I try not to think about that."  
  
"Piccolo?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I'm going to hug you now."  
  
Piccolo's eyes widened. Then he sighed. He was afraid Gohan would do something like that. But once Gohan decided on something, it was hard to make him change his mind. "You get one hug. After that, never mention it again." Gohan grinned and wrapped his arms around his friend and mentor. Piccolo slowly wrapped his arms him and smiled. When Gohan spoke again, it was almost in a low whisper.  
  
"Hey Piccolo?"  
  
"Yeah kid?"  
  
"If Videl and I do have children together, how would you feel about being the godfather for my first-born?"  
  
Again, Piccolo's eyes widened. A sweet smile slowly spread his face. "Gohan, I would like that very much." The two best friends hugged some more. They would have continued this, if Piccolo didn't hear a soft giggle from behind him. Piccolo turned around to see Goku and Vegeta standing at the doorway. Goku was giggling and had a big grin, while Vegeta merely smirked. But what caught Piccolo's attention was what Vegeta was holding.  
  
It was a camcorder.  
  
The same one that had already recorded his little fainting spell. Now it had yet another one of his discriminating behavior on it.  
  
"Gee, Vegeta, you were right. Taping Piccolo doing mushy things is fun." Goku commented.  
  
"Well, the onna wanted me to have a hobby, besides training. This seemed like the best one in mind." Vegeta grinned.  
  
Meanwhile, back to the trio of coolness, they flew straight to the village where last time the children were kidnapped. Tuxedo Mask looked around wearily. Something about this place looked familiar. Where had he seen it before? He looked down and saw the villagers looking up at them. He realized that they were grabbing attention to themselves by flying around.  
  
"Hey guys, let's land here, okay?" he suggested. The others nodded. Tuxedo Mask landed on one foot. He slowly walked up to the people, only to have them back away from him from fear. Tuxedo Mask sighed. He was going to have to get used to that.  
  
"Please. We mean you know harm. We came to help."  
  
"Who are you? Where do you come from? Did the gods send you? How is it you can fly?" suddenly came the many questions from the crowd.  
  
"Allow us to introduce ourselves." All three children jumped 20ft in the air and landed 10 feet away from the villagers.  
  
"SAIYA-BOY!" shouted Saiya-boy as he flexed his upper arms and did a split.  
  
"PRINCE OF WONDER!" shouted the Prince of Wonder as he lifted his left foot, stood on his right, pumped one fist in the air and placed he other on his hip.  
  
"AND I AM TUXEDO MASK!" shouted Tuxedo Mask as he just stood tall, holding a red rose while the wind blew his cape to the side in a heroic fashion.  
  
"TOGEHER WE ARE, THE TRIO OF COOLNESS!" they all shouted doing their final poses. The villagers just stared. Were these their saviors? If those were their god sent heroes, then the gods must be crazy.  
  
"Why are we doing this again?" Tuxedo Mask whispered. He never felt so foolish in his life.  
  
"Because Gohan says is cool." Saiya-boy whispered back.  
  
Tuxedo Mask abided to one law: If Gohan thinks it's cool; then it's not, really.  
  
Back in the SM dimension, Nephlite was at his old hideout: The Nephlite mansion. This was normally the best place to use his psychic powers. While he did not entirely understand why his leader and comrade-in-arms would want him to pry open Darien's life, he did not want to disobey a direct order from Machalite. What kind of a soldier would he be if he did that? An insubordinate one, that's what.  
  
Nephlite sat in the middle of the room and closed his eyes in concentration.  
  
"The stars never lie. They know the past, present, and future. They decide how the universe should be brought. Stars! Please guide me! Give me information on the "the light" and Darien." Nephlite said as he closed his eyes. The sign of thunder appeared on his head. The stars above his head seemed to move. All at once images appeared in his head. This was the most difficult part. He had to look and remember all the images that appeared on his head. The problem was you never know what you might see. They started out well. At first, all he saw was Crystal Tokyo. He saw Neo King Endymion, Neo Queen Serenity and Neo Princess Rini. It was a happy image. But suddenly, it was torn up like a piece of paper. Neo Earth became a dead world. Not a single living thing was there except two dark figures. He watched them fight. He was amazed at their skill and power. He had never seen such display of power before. It exceeded the power of Cosmos. Then he noticed that one of the figures had a golden aura and the other had a white aura. They seem to be desperately fighting to the death, but it was plain to everyone that they were too evenly matched. Nephlite saw a scene change. His eyes shot wide as he gasped. He saw the broken bodies of the Sailor scouts. Each Sailor scout had a broken bone and looked like they suffered from internal bleeding. What had caught his attention was the body of Sailor Jupiter. She looked like she had taken the blunt of the attack. Her eyes were wide open and the look of terror in them was frozen. Nephlite had a strong feeling that he was going to have dreams of that look for a long time. He turned around and saw Darien. He was still 6 years old, but right now he was in his 'prince' form. He just stood there, while the dark figures surrounded him. The one with the white aura was attempting to hurt him, while the one with the golden aura was trying to save him. Surrounding Darien's body was a dark aura and a golden aura. The dark aura seemed to be overcoming the golden light and it finally swallowed up Darien. For a second, Darien was fighting it. Then it attached itself on him like a second skin. Then, Darien suddenly grew and grew and grew. Finally, his eyes opened. But this time, they didn't cover his eyes. They were only in his iris. His gray skin was now darker then before, his muscles were bulging, and his ears and fangs lengthen. The sign of Earth was no longer on his forehead. On it was the sign of the devil. The ground shook and all of a sudden, gargoyle and dragon-like creatures climbed out of it. Darien smiled evilly. Laughter was heard all around. It belonged to the Demon King Piccolo. Its shadow could be seen behind him. It had finally happened. A new world of demons was born.  
  
Nephlite snapped his head back as all those images appeared. When he had done that, the force of it had thrown him twenty feet backwards. For a few seconds, he laid there, breathing hard. He was physically, mentally, and emotionally drained. He was also soaked in sweat. In his condition, he shouldn't move for the next couple of months. But he was given orders: if he found anything, ANYHING, he should report it to his leader immediately. And after what he saw, this needed to be reported now!  
  
Back in Capsule corp., Videl was utterly miserable. She never would have dreamed that her wedding dress would be made entirely out of flowers. Zoisite insisted it was the newest thing. Her bottom half, though had some silk, and was made of daisy petals while on some places there were sunflowers to lighten it. Her top part of her dress, which was sleeveless and showed her cleavage, was made up of white rose petals. Her veil was made from the silk of silkworms and on her head was a crown of red roses. Her short hair had been curled to the point of Curly Sue. To top it off, her allergies were acting up.  
  
"Don't worry, Videl. As soon as the wedding is done, we could both make a bonfire out of it. Besides, look at what me, Chichi and 18 are wearing." Bulma said. They had hot pink, puffy sleeved dresses with a crown of light pink flowers. Chichi's hair had been curled, making her young looking and she had a yellow ribbon to hold it. All three women comforted the poor Videl who was kind of blue about her outfit.  
  
"Did you guys know when I first loved Gohan? When I saw him at the crime scene of the Golden fighter. He was so nervous around me it as cute." Videl said, changing the subject.  
  
"Yeah, then you blackmailed him to teach you how to fly." Bulma said.  
  
Videl blushed. "Yeah, well, love can make you do stupid things."  
  
"I know what you mean; I had to fight Goku in the World Tournament in order for him to keep his promise to marry me." Chichi said, reminiscing.  
  
They walked out to speak with Zoisite to ask him nicely to change the dresses. While they walked out, Bulma and Chichi noticed that they haven't seen their husbands yet since they followed Piccolo upstairs. Gohan took that moment to walk downstairs.  
  
"Gohan? Where are Vegeta and Goku?" asked Bulma.  
  
"They both flew out the tenth floor window and sprinted straight for the forest."  
  
"WHAT? In their new white tuxedos? They'll ruin it! Why on earth would they do something as stupid that?" Chichi asked.  
  
"Ask me if I've seen Piccolo." Was all Gohan said.  
  
Vegeta and Goku were running as if every evil villain they've ever fought were after them. Goku was still laughing wildly and Vegeta was still smirking and waving his camcorder tauntingly at Piccolo's enraged face.  
  
"Heh, heh! Namek, you are a sucker for set-ups." Vegeta snickered. He yelped when Piccolo made a mad-grab at his tail.  
  
"GIVE ME THAT CAMERA!" He screamed as he chased the two wise guys across the forest.  
  
Back at the village, the three young heroes sat and listened to the sad tale of the people. Saiya-boy and Prince of Wonder sat Indian-style on the floor while Tuxedo Mask just stood there with his hands behind his back. The village chief, which had recently lost his son, was the one telling them the tale.  
  
"It all started three weeks ago, when some of our men have noticed strange happenings in another part of the forest. At first, we ignored it. After all, that forest is believed to be haunted. But then, a week after that, we started to receive disturbances at night. But then, THEY showed up. Monsters. We don't know where they come from, but they attacked our village every night. We tried fighting them back, but they were too strong for us. Our weapons were useless on them. We tried to rely on other villagers, but they were attacking them as well. We were at the end of our rope until one of them spoke to us. He said he would spare our village if we sent one child each week to him and his gang. They swore that they would not be harmed, but we, at first, were frightened for them and tried to stop them. But they came back fiercer then ever. They attacked and this time there were more causalities. We should have agreed at the beginning. We gave them five children. They left our village alone, but every week, they would come for five more children. We tried the authorities, but a lot of them didn't believe us while some of them tried to help us, but they never returned."  
  
Saiya-boy and Prince of Wonder felt very sorry for them. Tuxedo Mask, on the other hand,  
  
"So, if I understand this correctly, you surrendered your children to those monsters for your own safety. Am I correct?"  
  
Both boys were shocked that Tuxedo Mask would say such things to these people. They were asking for their help, not for more guilt.  
  
"We had no choice, they threatened us. They also promised they wouldn't hurt them."  
  
"And you believed them?" Tuxedo Mask growled, outraged by their ignorance.  
  
"....Well....yes, we did." The crowd was starting to feel guilty.  
  
"What kind of parents would abandon their children to monsters for their own safety and then take its word for it that they won't be harmed!" Tuxedo Mask demanded nastily.  
  
"Stop it, Tuxedo Mask! We came to help, remember?" Saiya-boy said, outraged at Tuxedo Mask's behavior. Prince of Wonder was not too thrilled by his attitude either.  
  
Tuxedo Mask grunted and looked away. He was too busy getting rid of that cold shiver out of his spine. Why did this place freak him out? He was positive he has never been there before. Or had he?  
  
"Don't worry. We, the trio of coolness, will stop this unknown threat. We won't stop until every child is released and sent home in time for dinner." Prince of Wonder declared. Saiya-boy nodded eagerly, Tuxedo Mask just rolled his eyes.  
  
"Now, where are they?" Prince of Wonder asked. The crowd pointed at a very sinister-looking forest.  
  
"They always leave from there." One villager said.  
  
"Great! Now, do you know exactly where they are right now? We probably can't sense their ki. So we need your help."  
  
At this, the people started to tremble. "You wish for us to travel to that side of the forest? We thought you came in to help. And yet you can't locate them yourselves?"  
  
"You cowards! We ask you a simple task so we can save your children and yet you refuse us so you can remain safe in your homes! You don't deserve to be parents! I think your children are better off with those monsters. They shouldn't know how uncaring you are." Tuxedo Mask snarled. His eyes weren't glowing, but you can see a glint of red in his pupil. These people were starting to make him see red. No, wait. The buildings were starting to seep red. In fact, if he didn't know any better, he could swear he smelt blood. Tuxedo Mask's eyes widened. Now he remembered where he saw this place before. Before anyone could say anything, he flew off. As he flew deeper in the village, he heard screams of the undead from the ground: the moans of those who cannot fully rest in peace. The buildings were practically oozing blood. He could still feel the heat of the fires that burned some buildings. And yet there was no such thing happening. It was all in his head. He was reliving one of Piccolo's worse memories. This was the first village ever attacked by Piccolo Daimio. It wasn't the nicest, though. He looked down and saw ghostly figures with grotesque faces rising from the ground. They pointed accusingly at him and flew at him. He tried to fight them off but they were overwhelming. He felt his entire body shiver from the cold air. He could hear moans of rage and sadness. He was losing oxygen fast. He blacked out.  
  
15 minutes later when he came to, he felt something lick his tearstained face. He opened his eyes to see the kitten he bought for Marron licking him affectionately. He stood up and picked up the kitten. It meowed at him reassuringly. He hugged it to his chest. He looked around to find himself in a graveyard. These were no ordinary graves. These were the tombstones of Piccolo Daimio's victims. There were probably a thousand, most likely a million tombstones. Tuxedo Mask could still hear the faint wailing of the victims. One by one, he read the names of the tombstones apologized to the victims, wishing them eternal peace. He was on his 50th when he was interrupted by a kindly old voice.  
  
"How can a face so young carry so many burdens?" It said.  
  
Tuxedo Mask turned around to see an elderly nun with a caring face placing white roses on the graves. She looked at him with large blue eyes that seemed to twinkle with hope and love.  
  
"Who are you?" he more demanded then asked.  
  
"Oh, just another respected visitor for the dead. I don't see children here often. Why are you crying, child? I doubt you knew these people to cry about them. They all died years and years ago." She said.  
  
"Why I'm crying is my own business. You wouldn't understand." He murmured.  
  
"Oh, but I do. You are crying because you seem obligated to carry the sins of your fathers." She said with a mysterious smile.  
  
Tuxedo Mask's eyes widened. "How did you know?"  
  
"How I know is my own business." She said with a mischievous look in her eyes. "What I do know is that a sweet boy like you shouldn't cry like that for crimes he did not commit. Nor should he feel obligated to them."  
  
"You don't understand. These people didn't deserve to die. It isn't fair."  
  
"Sonny, one thing you should know is that death is a part of life. Whether it's too soon or not, be it accident or sickness, it will happen. You must learn to accept it when it does. Just as you must learn to accept yourself as a demon."  
  
Tuxedo Mask listened to the words and wisdom within them, but was not convinced. "But I can't accept it. How can anyone accept a monster within him? Don't you see? I have to hate the demon within me! I HAVE TO!"  
  
"Tuxedo Mask?" said two voices.  
  
'It's Saiya-boy and Prince of Wonder!' he thought, as he turned left. "Listen, lady, thanks for the advice. But I can take care of myself and........" That's when Tuxedo Mask noticed she was gone. Where did she go? As he whirled around, he came face-to-face with Saiya-boy.  
  
"There you are! We were looking for you. Two of the villagers are going to take us to the monster's hideout." He said.  
  
"Yeah. Your little speech, no matter how mean it was, convinced some of them to come." Prince of Wonder said. "C'mon, what are you waiting for? Let's go."  
  
"Sure. But did any of you see a nun here earlier?" Tuxedo Mask asked.  
  
"What are you talking about? You were the only person we saw when we flew. You looked like you were talking to yourself." Saiya-boy stated.  
  
Tuxedo Mask frowned. Was he losing it? How could he make up that elderly nun? Well, he'll figure it out later. For now, he had to find a way to save those kids. He flew off with his friends, not at all noticing the old nun on top of a pine tree, with a look of sadness and a little disappointment. Suddenly, a golden aura took over her body. Instantly, in the nun's place was the ghostly Sailor Earth.  
  
"Endymion, my son. You must learn to accept who you are or you will become exactly as the 'light' feared you would be. This is the last time I shall interfere like that, so you're on your own." She suddenly frowned. "And Piccolo, if you know what's good for you, you better take good care of our son or you will be hearing from me sooner then you think." With that, she disappeared in a shower of red rose petals.  
  
Back at the forest; Piccolo, who was on his way back from beating the crap out of Goku and Vegeta, suddenly shuddered.  
  
Back in the Gates of time, Machalite sat patiently on the floor, waiting for Nephlite. It wasn't like him to take his time to read the stars. This troubled Machalite a bit, who was not one who liked to have a troubled mind. He decided to go check the area and see how things were doing. He was about to teleport when something landed right beside him. It was Nephlite. And he didn't look so good. His eyes were wide and bloodshot, his clothes were iced with snow, and his normally well-combed wavy hair was a mess. He walked for three seconds before passing out. Nephlite never passed out in his life. So Machalite was by his side a microsecond later. He picked him up and wrapped him in his cloak. He carried him to a deserted area and made a fireplace appear. He made a chair and sat down to watch his comrade-in- arms. After an hour and a half, Nephlite slowly came to. He suddenly shot up and sucked in his breath. He hadn't look this scared since Zoisite had once asked him if he liked him to plan his wedding.  
  
"Nephlite?" asked his leader. Nephlite whirled to the direction of Machalite's voice. He sighed in relief and started to breathe better. "Nephlite? Are you all right?"  
  
Nephlite nodded his head and was somewhat gaining control of his calm exterior. Truth be told, he was in terrible condition and his heart was still beating like a jackrabbit. But he had to report his readings.  
  
"Yes sir, I will be fine. However, we should be more worried about Darien at the moment. He is in more danger then we ever dreamed he would be. We must inform the others."  
  
"Why? Is it concerning the 'light'?" asked Machalite.  
  
A small chuckle escaped Nephlite's throat. "The 'Light'? Oh no, sir. It's not the 'light'. In fact, from what I've seen, the 'light' is now considered the least of Darien's worries."  
  
The boys were walking in a deep part of the forest to see what exactly it was that kidnapped children and never let their parents see them again. "So this is it, huh? I never knew you would actually lead us to cave. It shouldn't be able to hold all the village children." Prince of Wonder mused  
  
"Go! We have no more uses for you." Tuxedo Mask stated to the men. They eagerly left the forest.  
  
"That wasn't very nice!" Saiya-boy said. Tuxedo Mask merely snorted and walked into the cave, the others quickly followed. They walked for what appeared to be an eternity to them. So far they didn't sense anything out of the ordinary, but as Z-fighters, they were prepared for anything. The boys were certainly surprised to meet a dead end.  
  
"GAH! This was a set-up! I knew they had no intention of rescuing their kids! They just needed more kids to give to those monsters."  
  
"Tuxedo Mask! How can you say something like that! They would never do something like that. They want their kids back, that's all!" Prince of Wonder shouted. He would have continued, but a low growl interrupted. Both boys turned around to see a large, grotesque crab-like creature with a dark shell and fangs as big as a saber tooth-tiger's. It was big enough to topple this cave and just as wide. But it was its ki that got its attention. It was like nothing they've ever felt before.  
  
"What were you saying, Prince of Wonder?" Tuxedo Mask said. Despite everything, he couldn't help but have an arrogant tone in his voice.  
  
They all got into a fighting stance and powered up. Then, all at once, they jumped on it, kicking and punching. Of course, the monster blocked all the moves. They didn't get anywhere with their attacks so they tried ki. The monster was showing signs of fatigue; it apparently didn't expect the children to fight back. Tuxedo Mask stood over the fallen monster and was about to strike it with his sword, until he looked in its eyes. Its eyes were bright and innocent, which was very strange for a cold-blooded monster. Concentrating on his telepathic powers, he looked into the monster's mind. He saw a human, child-like mind. What amazed him was that it was one of the village children. What was going on here? What caused this transformation? He had to find out!  
  
"Guys, wait! Let's surrender. He may be able to lead us to the kids!" Tuxedo Mask suggested.  
  
Both boys nodded and raised their hands in submission. The dazed monster looked at them suspiciously for a moment, and then he grabbed them.  
  
Back at capsule corp., Zoisite sat on a chair and was holding Bra, who he made flower girl. He smiled at the sweet little girl that was resting in his arms. Looking at Bra, he was reminded of his beautiful ice princess Ami. He loved the shy, cool-headed princess. She was his right-arm and partner in strategies. He had missed her so much when he was under Beryl's control. He wished he had been there for her when she had been hurt or sad. If he had one wish, it was to live in peace with his beautiful goddess.  
  
"If I'm ever going to have a daughter, I hope she's as sweet and as beautiful as you." He cooed to Bra as he kissed her sleeping forehead.  
  
"Reminiscing, I see." Jedeite said as he leaned on a wall next to Zoisite.  
  
"What do you want, Jed?" Zoisite said.  
  
"The girls are complaining about their dresses. They said it stinks. Piccolo, Goku, and Vegeta have still yet to be found and the prince and the other kids have not returned yet." Jedeite smirked.  
  
"What's wrong with the dresses? They are my masterpieces! They should consider themselves lucky I'm doing this free of charge." Zoisite sniffed.  
  
"What were you thinking about anyway, Zoi? You seemed deep in thought." Jedeite asked.  
  
"I was thinking about Ami and what I planned to do with my life after Serenity awakens."  
  
"What?!! You're going to wait until the ice age thaws before you have your kicks."  
  
"What are you saying? Are you going to be a bachelor?"  
  
"Damn right! There are chicks everywhere! I gotta explore my territories, since we're living here and all."  
  
"Jedeite, how could you! You have Rei! Despite the fact you two don't get along and are constantly at each others throats, you are betrothed and she loves you."  
  
"But she won't be there for a millennia. Let me have some fun."  
  
"Jedeite, I'm ashamed of you. You don't see me cheating on Ami."  
  
"Hhhhhmmmmmmm, I seem to recall you and Machalite were always tongue wrestling with each other back when we were working with Beryl."  
  
"WHAT?!!!"  
  
Jedeite screamed in terror as Zoisite started to chase him around the room.  
  
"I'll have you know that Machalite and I were just very, very, very close friends. Nothing more, nothing less." He shouted as he attempted to harm Jedeite.  
  
"Come on, even Sailor Moon saw that you and Mach were yaoi." Jedeite snickered. Zoisite snarled and pounced on Jedeite. Due to the fact that this is PG-13, there will be no description as to how Zoisite had beaten him up.  
  
Meanwhile, Tuxedo Mask and the others were being taken to an underground base somewhere in the cave. Tuxedo Mask made sure that he looked at everything before he was locked up. And he saw a lot of interesting things. The place was high-tech and filled with state-of-the-art machinery. It was not as advance as Bulma's work, but it could give her a run for her money. The place held all the children-turned-monsters in cages to keep them from harming one another. It was nice and clean despite all the disgusting monsters. With his keen eyes, he got more information from slight glances from the computers. As it turns out, this was a Genetic facility. The sole purpose for this place was to bio-engineer children to make an army of terror. The whole take-over-the-world crap. As children had the compatible energy for it, it was no wonder they stole children from their homes. The boys were in their jail cells, waiting to be put in a genetic tube for their transformation, when Tuxedo Mask told his conclusions to his friends.  
  
"I don't want to be a monster. I like me!" Saiya-boy said as he hugged himself.  
  
"That's disgusting! They take children and turn them to monsters."  
  
"We have to put a stop to this at once. We can't afford to have such an army unleashed. We will stop them and change the kids back to normal. We must destroy this building. To do that, we have to get out of here." Tuxedo Mask said while leaning on a wall.  
  
"But how? This entire room is ki-based. We can't get out." Prince of Wonder said. Tuxedo Mask smirked. He lifted up his top hat and pulled out the white kitten.  
  
"Okay Fluff, I've got a mission for you."  
  
"Fluff?" Prince of Wonder asked.  
  
"Yeah. He's nothing but a ball of fluff, so his name suits him."  
  
"Oooookay." Prince of Wonder said.  
  
"Fluff, I got a job for you, I want you to go find a crowbar so we could get out of here. Do you understand?" he asked. Fluff nodded its head and walked through the bars off.  
  
"How is a crowbar going to help? And what makes you think that that cat is going to come back?" Saiya-boy asked.  
  
"Yeah, he probably went to get a fish or something." Prince of Wonder said.  
  
"Fluff won't le me down; he'll be back with a crowbar and will help us."  
  
"No he won't."  
  
"Yes he will."  
  
"No he won't."  
  
"Yes he will."  
  
"No he won...."  
  
They stopped talking when they saw Fluff come back with the prison keys. They all looked at each other.  
  
"That's not a crowbar." Prince of Wonder said.  
  
Back a Capsule corp., Piccolo had just returned with Goku and Vegeta. Their clothes looked torn and they were wet and muddy. Piccolo managed to have smashed the camcorder, not at all knowing Vegeta made copies of the film in his laptop. Zoisite, who had been admiring a frozen statue of Jedeite, was not amused when they walked in the house.  
  
Where have you been? And what happened to your clothes? The wedding is in three hours and you do this to me now! Why is this always happening to me! Is it an omen of what's to come if we continue this wedding? WHY IS THIS ALWAYS HAPPENING TO ME?!!!" Zoisite wailed, Serena-style on the floor. Goku felt guilty and patted him on the back.  
  
"Cheer up, Zoi. We still have time to make amends. We'll make sure this wedding goes as scheduled." He said.  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Sure, this is my son's wedding and I want him to enjoy the experience as I did in my wedding." He winked at Chichi, who was walking by. Chichi blushed and went back to the kitchen. Gohan walked downstairs.  
  
"Haven't they come back yet? I need Goten here." Gohan asked.  
  
"Why?" Goku asked.  
  
"Because he's the ring bearer. I need him here."  
  
"He and the brats should be back by now. How long does it take to save a planet?" Vegeta asked.  
  
"I'll contact him immediately." Zoisite said as he picked up his computer.  
  
The boys were walking through a maze when Tuxedo Mask's computer started beeping. He lifted up his computer and flipped it open.  
  
"Prince Darien, who is it?"  
  
"Darien, what are you doing still out? The wedding is in three hours and you're still not here. Goten is the ring bearer, you know?" said the worried face of Zoisite.  
  
"One moment, please." He turned to Saiya-boy. "You have an important part in the buffoon's wedding and you chose to accept this mission?"  
  
Saiya-boy played with his feet. "Sorry, I forgot."  
  
"Fine, we'll be here soon." Tuxedo Mask stated.  
  
"You better! I am the master planner of this wedding, and I will not have it messed up like last time. Zoisite out."  
  
"Sure, whatever. Prince Darien out." He turned to his teammates. "Look guys, originally; I was going to make a subtle, quiet plan. But because we have three hours, we go to plan B."  
  
"And plan B would be?" Prince of Wonder asked.  
  
"We go in the core of this place, bust it up and get out." Tuxedo Mask answered.  
  
The boys couldn't think of a better plan. But Saiya-boy raised his hand.  
  
"What if we get caught?"  
  
"What are the odds of them listening in on us?"  
  
"Well, the beeping was pretty loud." Saiya-boy said as he pointed behind him. Tuxedo Mask turned around and pointed at the monsters behind them.  
  
"Any bright ideas, cape boy?" Prince of Wonder asked.  
  
The wedding was at the Hoshino temple. It won't start for a while and Gohan was already at the altar with Piccolo. It was obvious that they were both very nervous.  
  
"Piccolo! I think I forgot my wedding vows." He whispered nervously.  
  
"Then improvise. I'm going to do that on my speech. Besides, you should be worried more about Goten, he still hasn't returned from fighting." He whispered back.  
  
"Goten's fine. What kind of trouble would he be in?"  
  
"Nice monsters. Nice monsters! DON'T EAT ME!!!" Saiya-boy shouted. Saiya- boy and Prince of Wonder were fighting off the monsters while Tuxedo Mask flew straight to the center of the room. He had to destroy the machine or chemical or what ever created these abominations. Now that his friends distracted them, he walked into the center. He was shocked to see children in tanks. Some were still human looking, but they won't be for long. It occurred there was a mastermind behind this, but he or she was nowhere to be found. He walked up until he saw a main supercomputer that was obviously involved in making this nightmare. He flew straight at it to see how to shut it off only to be thrown backwards by the force field. He tried to find out where the switch was, only to be thrown by a monster. This time, Tuxedo Mask didn't' sense a child-like mind in it. It was 100% pure evil. He flew straight at it and tried to fight it, but it overwhelmed him and slammed him on the ground. He tried clawing it, but the monster merely ripped his arm off. He screamed so loud that Other World could here him. The monster then grabbed Tuxedo Mask by the head, squeezing it tightly. That was when Fluff scampered up its arms and clawed it. Tuxedo Mask watched as the monster shook it off. It was just about to kill the kitten when it felt something slash his hands. He turned to see a very sinister looking boy.  
  
"Don't. Touch. My. Cat!" he whispered dangerously. He roared and started to savagely attack the beast. Even after he killed it he continued to claw its body. He would have continued this if Saiya-boy and Prince of Wonder hadn't pulled him off.  
  
"Tuxedo Mask, it's dead. You can stop now." Prince of Wonder said worriedly. Tuxedo Mask started panting as he slowly rose from his feet. He was surprised at the amount of damage he did.  
  
"Tuxedo Mask, your arm?" Prince of Wonder noticed the stump. Tuxedo Mask looked at it, shrugged, and regrew it back.  
  
"Cool!" they both said.  
  
Tuxedo Mask smirked. "I had a theory I could do that. I was always healing faster then I should. So regenerating should be easy."  
  
"Let's get out of here." Prince of Wonder said.  
  
"But what about the others? How do we change them back?" Saiya-boy asked. As he said that, the unconscious monsters from where the boys had left them became humans again. It was a strange sight to behold. The monster's death must have freed them. Tuxedo Mask walked up to them and tried to heal them. A golden glow took his body as it spread all over the area. The children were healed and awakened. They were dazed and confused, but other then that, they were fine. Tuxedo Mask fell from all that energy. Saiya-boy caught him.  
  
"Are you all right?" he asked, concerned. Tuxedo Mask waved off his concern reassuringly. It was time to take them home.  
  
The expressions on the adult's faces were one of wonder as their children ran home to their moms and dads. The parents graciously hugged their children tightly, swearing that they would never abandon them again.  
  
"Liars." Tuxedo Mask whispered. Saiya-boy and Prince of Wonder gave a glance, apparently wondering whether if he was going to attack anybody or not. He didn't look too happy and he could go demon on them any minute. They hoped it didn't come to that; they were too exhausted to fight.  
  
"Come on, guys. We have a wedding to save." Tuxedo Mask said.  
  
The wedding was going off well so far. Despite the fact that Hercule kept giving Gohan death glares, threatening to make his life miserable if he ever hurts his angel.  
  
"Daddy!" Videl whispered. Gohan smiled nervously and Piccolo merely sweatdropped at the weak man threatening one of the strongest men in the universe. Videl smiled at Gohan. Gohan smiled back, and then he sneezed. Apparently he had the same allergies as Videl. The priest and the guests were doing their bests not to laugh at Videl's weird wedding dress. The priest was reading the sacred book, saying the usual things. When it was time to say the vows, while Videl was reciting hers perfectly, Gohan was having a panic attack. Of course, Piccolo was thankful for his psychic powers.  
  
'Gohan! Repeat after me!' he said in Gohan's head. ' I, Gohan, shall take Videl as his mate, to forever cherish, to forever hold, to spend all my life to be with her, to make her happy. For the rest of my life and beyond.'  
  
'And beyond? Piccolo, let's not go overboard.'  
  
'Just say it!'  
  
Gohan did.  
  
"May I please have the rings?" the priest asked.  
  
Gohan looked for Goten. Nothing. He was doomed. Videl looked at him, incredulously.  
  
"Gohan! Did you forget the wedding rings?"  
  
"Umm, well, you see." He looked at Piccolo, who shrugged helplessly.  
  
"YOU DID, DIDN'T YOU!? HOW COULD YOU FORGET SOMETHING THAT IMPORTANT! I'M GOING TO CREAM YOU!!" She shouted as she began strangling him. Gohan still could not believe how strong Videl was for a human. He honestly couldn't breathe! Vegeta was smirking Goku had to hold Chichi back from killing Videl. Everyone else was in a state of shock.  
  
Outside, the boys were right over the roof of the temple in their white tuxedos.  
  
"I don't think we can make it" Goten said.  
  
"Oh yes we will!" Darien said as he grabbed Goten and threw him through a stain-glass window. He landed right in the middle of the wedding hall. Everyone looked at the small boy land on his feet. He ran straight to the altar and gave Gohan his rings. Having nothing to be angry about, Videl let him go. After exchanging the rings, the priest pronounced them husbands and wife. They kissed affectionately. Goku cheered and hugged his son, and then he ran to the Dining room. Chichi started crying happy tears and everyone started congratulating him except for Vegeta, who thought his presence in the wedding was enough Everyone then drove off to Capsule corp. to have a big party. Of course, Zoisite had to melt Jedeite from his ice tomb to join the party. Piccolo looked around for Darien and found him leaning on a wall of Capsule corp., staring off into space.  
  
"So Darien, how was your first time saving the world?" he asked.  
  
"Well, I learned something today."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
Darien looked at him, a red glint in his stormy blue eyes. "I learned that humans are no better then demons." With that said. He went to the dining room. Piccolo decided as soon as they moved to the caves, he would have a talk with Darien. What Piccolo didn't know was that Goku was in the Dining room too.  
  
Jedeite and Zoisite, who heard the exchange, looked at each other nervously. True, they would not be the first to admit that humans were corrupted easily, but Darien was going to be the ruler of those people. If he didn't tolerate them soon, he would automatically fail his test. Something they did not want.  
  
Darien walked in the Dining room and picked up a few things, since the Saiya-jins ate mostly everything. With his fork, he picked at his food until he decided he wasn't that hungry, after all. He then noticed that Goku was leaving the room, yawning. Smiling evilly and getting a dark, he followed him. Goku, not at all knowingthat he was being followed found an empty room and fell asleep on a big red couch. Darien smirked when he found a sleeping Goku on the couch. That idiot ate so much that he fell dead asleep. He snickered on how easy it was going to be to kill him. He lifted his hand slowly and made the earth bomb appear. The window was open to his left so he could make a quick escape should they find any remains of the body. Not that the earth bomb would leave any remains. 'Okay, Demon murderer, time to die!' he thought with an evil smile. It was then that Darien remembered Murphy's Law: If there is a possibility that a plan will go wrong, then it will, and at the worst possible moment. Darien realized his plan had a flaw. In his position to prepare the Earth bomb, and to lower his ki from others, he was quite vulnerable. Heck, even a little girl could kill him in this position. And speaking of little girls....  
  
"DAAAAARRRRRRRRRIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEENNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" screamed a high-pitched voice.  
  
Darien's red eyes widen. "Oh dear God, no! Please, Dende. Let her miss, let her miss, don't let her get me!" he pleaded.  
  
Up at the Lookout tower, Dende was powering up Marron with some of his kami magic so her tackle would be more effective. He was grinning.  
  
"Sorry Darien, but you earned this. GET EM' MARRON!" he grinned. Popo resumed sweeping, already used to Dende's pre-adolescent behavior. But that didn't stop him from missing Kami. And boy, did he miss Kami!  
  
"MARRON! NO WAIT!" he shouted as an insane Marron zoomed toward him. But Marron was deaf at the moment. All she saw was Darien in a cute white tuxedo that needed a big hug. She jumped and smashed into him. He fell right out the window and crashed on the pavement. Marron, who had been on his chest, was unharmed, of course.  
  
"Come on. Everyone's waiting for you." She chirped. She walked back to the building. Darien climbed out as well. When he did, it was then that he noticed his shadow. But it was dark, and the moon had been destroyed, so what could be causing a shadow? He looked up and his eyes widened as he saw his own earth bomb heading his way. It smashed right to him, missing Marron by a millimeter. Marron blinked and turned around to see lots of sparks come out of a Darien-sized crater.  
  
"Ohhhhhhhhh, pretty!" she exclaimed as she clasped her hands together.  
  
Dende was laughing so hard he was in danger of coughing a lung. "Oh man! That Marron is more troublesome then even me! I couldn't have thought of a better way to punish Darien." Popo sighed and shook his head. He knew that Kamis have sense of humors, but this was ridiculous!  
  
Darien slowly came to. At first, all he heard was his name. Then, the feeling in his body came back, so he knew he was on Bulma's couch. He opened his eyes only to have them met with a pair of black eyes.  
  
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!" Darien screamed.  
  
"You're awake! YAY! Let's go eat cake!" Marron squealed as she jumped off of Darien and ran back to the Dining room.  
  
"No. sugar... for.... me... please!" he panted in each word. Then he growled angrily and his eyes went red.  
  
Must......... kill ......human.....Catapult! His brain said in a trance- like manner.  
  
He stood up, and walked to the Dining room door, intent on ending Marron's reign of pouncing. He opened the door only to have a piece of cake shoved in his mouth  
  
"Here you go." Marron said; her face covered in vanilla icing. Darien was stunned, and then he chewed it carefully. Mmmmmmmmm, Chocolate marshmallows!  
  
"Um, thanks Marron."  
  
"You're welcome, Darien." She said sweetly.  
  
"Oh Marron, I almost forgot." He ran back outside and came back with Fluff. "Here's your kitten."  
  
"Awww, it's so cute." She hugged it for a moment before giving it back to him. "Here you go."  
  
Darien was shocked. "You don't like it?"  
  
"I like kittens. But I like puppies better!"  
  
"THEN WHY DID YOU MAKE ME BUY ONE?!!" He screamed, outraged at her. Ungrateful wench! Did Marron have any idea how expensive pets were?  
  
"For you, silly." Marron giggled, not at all phased by Darien's outburst. Darien blinked a few times.  
  
"For.....me?"  
  
"Yeah, you don't have a pet. I wanted to get you one for you, but I don't have any money. So I got you to get it for a present for you." She said it as if it was the most logical thing in the world. Darien was stunned. He was positive that no one had ever given him a real gift before. He felt tears form in his eyes, but he was too proud to cry in front of Marron.  
  
"Thank you, Marron. You're a true friend."  
  
Marron giggled and hugged his arm.  
  
-_-;; "Of course, you could have asked your parents to give you the money."  
  
^ v ^; "I didn't think of that."  
  
Everyone gathered around Capsule corp. for the party. They all started dancing. Vegeta and Goku didn't join in at first, until Zoisite started dancing with Bulma and Jedeite with Chichi, then they intervened, reminding the guards who these women belonged to. Darien merely sat on a chair and waited for the party to end, but Marron wouldn't have it.  
  
"Dance with me! Dance with me!" She insisted as she dragged Darien to the dance floor. He gave in and started dancing The girls thought it was cute, 18 wasn't amused.  
  
"Attention everyone, the best man will now make a speech." Gohan said with a grin. Piccolo's mouth dropped. He had to do it now! All eyes were on him. He could feel the blood drain from his face. 'Okay, I can do this! If I can face Frieza, Cell and Majin Buu; I can face a crowd of humans.' He rose from his chair and coughed to get everyone's attention.  
  
"Alright, I would like to offer my toast to Gohan, my first student and first friend. When I first met him, he was a little crybaby who couldn't defend himself from an inchworm. He also was hyperactive," he said as he looked at Gohan, who wished he knew where this was going. "But despite that, he has managed to save my life more times then I saved his and was always there for me, even when I didn't want it. He has grown up from his childish antics and has become a man we can all be proud of. He's brave, brilliant, powerful and pure-hearted. And I couldn't have asked for a better friend and fighter." He took in a breath and continued. "I would also like to offer a toast to Videl. At first I had my doubts about her and when I heard she was stalking Gohan and blackmailing him, I wanted to blast her to kingdom come," he paused to make sure his words took effect.it did,everyone stared wide-eyed, Videl looked at him with her mouth hanging. "But she has proven herself somewhat worthy for him. She wasn't like her father and that was also a plus, she also made Gohan happy andi'm happy forthat as well. I would like to say congratulations to Gohan and Videl. May your happiness last forever." He finished. The place was quiet for a few seconds, and then an explosion of applause broke out around. Piccolo sighed; glad that his speech was over. He had no clue as to what he said anyway, but everyone was impressed by it. They all sat down to and what was left of the food. Darien was even little bit out of his usual gloomy mood. He was sitting next to Marron and took another helping of cake.  
  
Gaea stared proudly at her lover. She had chosen wisely after all. Her only regret was that she couldn't be there to help raise Darien with Piccolo. All she could do was watch from afar. "I love you both. Make me proud, my two favorite boys." She leaned forward and kissed the now relieved Piccolo on the cheek and disappeared to other world. Piccolo blinked as he felt a peck on his cheek. He turned to Gohan, who was drinking his champagne.  
  
"Gohan? You didn't just kiss me right now, did you?" Piccolo growled, hoping no one else saw that. Gohan nearly spitted his drink out, how can Piccolo ask that question? He hadn't done that since he was seven.  
  
"NO! Besides, I know the rules: I'm not allowed to kiss you in public." He quoted as he recalled the last time he kissed Piccolo in front of the Z- senshi. It's been twelve years and he still couldn't sit down properly!  
  
"Why's that? Do you guys normally kiss each other privately?" Jedeite asked loudly, mischievously.  
  
Gohan spitted his drink out this time; he wasn't alone. Chichi, who had been sitting across Gohan, did as well. Piccolo could feel his blood rise to his face in rage and embarrassment.  
  
"JEDEITE, YOU BAKA!" raged Piccolo. Gohan had to use all his strength to hold him back.  
  
"Piccolo, calm down! Not on my wedding day!" Gohan shouted.  
  
"Do WHOM kiss each other privately?" Chichi demanded in that voice that could send shivers to Beryl.  
  
"You're going to have to answer that." Jedeite smirked. His smile disappeared when Piccolo broke through Gohan's submission hold and launched himself on him. Except that Jedeite wasn't there anymore. He had disappeared before Piccolo could kill him. Piccolo crashed right through a wall and slammed into several of the guests, knocking them into the wedding cake, and Goku was not pleased. Videl looked at the cameras focusing on her.  
  
"You're going to cut that, right?" she asked.  
  
In the gates of time, Jedeite and Zoisite landed in a THUMP! They stood up quickly.  
  
"What's going on? Why are we back here? I thought Machalite wanted us to protect Darien." Jedeite asked.  
  
"Machalite would never pull us away from our assignment unless it was an emergency. Let's see what's up." Zoisite suggested as he helped Jedeite up.  
  
They both then walked to the center room. Machalite and Nephlite were right there. Machalite was walking back and forth in a worried manner. Nephlite was standing straight like a soldier. That was impressive, considering he was almost in a coma just an hour ago.  
  
"We have a problem. It seems the 'light' is not the only thing after our prince." Machalite stated.  
  
"I don't know when, but these new enemies are coming. They are more powerful then Cosmos. We must get stronger as well as Darien. For his fate will decide the fate of both dimensions." Nephlite said sternly.  
  
Bad news for Darien! Like he hasn't suffered enough.  
  
Will Darien have some faith in humanity?  
  
Will Piccolo get his hands on Jedeite?  
  
And will Alex Daimioh stop asking me for a raise?  
  
Find out on the next exciting adventure on "His path".  
  
These chapters are getting long. Don't worry; I'll work on the next one out as soon as I pass a History test. On the next chapter of his path, Darien moves in the cave and has a bonding time with his father. An explanation on Darien's memories. He discovers his heritage. And Piccolo wants his memories back. Huh? A visiting Vegeta? HUH? Gaea and Piccolo finally meet face-to-face. ^ v ^ this is getting good.  
  
Alex Damioh: Oh, and you still owe me a $1.25..Today we have an interview with the Almaseti. Here it goes:  
  
Author Interviews: Almaseti  
  
Alex Damioh: unlocking the vault of your deepest darkest secrets  
  
Almaseti: I like pie  
  
Alex Damioh: hee hee  
  
Alex Damioh: now that's a good secret  
  
Almaseti: yeah  
  
Almaseti: don't tell anyone  
  
Alex Damioh: oh I won't *crosses fingers*  
  
Alex Damioh: we could start the interview on Sunday  
  
Almaseti: cool  
  
Alex Damioh: now, you have to answer every question  
  
Alex Damioh: It won't be too personal though  
  
Almaseti: okay, I will  
  
Almaseti: good  
  
Almaseti: what kind of questions?  
  
Alex Damioh: like what was the worst piece of fanfiction you ever wrote  
  
Alex Damioh: and can we have a link to it  
  
Almaseti: well, it's not posted  
  
Alex Damioh: think you could post it?  
  
Almaseti: _ it sucks too much!  
  
Alex Damioh: Aaaw  
  
Alex Damioh: how about just a paragraph  
  
Almaseti: I'll think about it, okay?  
  
Alex Damioh: k  
  
Almaseti: maybe  
  
Alex Damioh: I'm so evil  
  
Alex Damioh ^-^  
  
Almaseti: okay, okay  
  
Almaseti: what else would you ask?  
  
Alex Damioh: hmmm.  
  
Alex Damioh: what's the freakiest thing that ever happened to you?  
  
Almaseti: hmmm  
  
Almaseti: Birth of my younger brother?  
  
Alex Damioh: lol  
  
Almaseti: No, I'll have to think about it  
  
Alex Damioh: and whose you favorite dbz character and sm character  
  
Almaseti: SM- Minako  
  
Almaseti: DBZ- Gohan  
  
Alex Damioh: Now how would you react if I wrote a cheesy love story about them?  
  
Almaseti: I'd tell you how to make it better  
  
Almaseti: and yell at you if you didn't improve  
  
Almaseti: unless it was cheesy for cheesiness' sake  
  
Almaseti: then I'd laugh  
  
Almaseti: even though they wouldn't be that good a couple  
  
Alex Damioh: what if I thought it was great  
  
Alex Damioh: and made more  
  
Almaseti: Then I'd have to hurt you  
  
Alex Damioh: what if I said it was dedicated of my friend Almaseti  
  
Almaseti: I'd have to get my friends to help me hurt you  
  
Almaseti: but only if it really sucked  
  
Alex Damioh: and it does  
  
Almaseti: then you have some flamers on your hands  
  
Almaseti: ^_^ but you wouldn't DARE do that.....  
  
Alex Damioh: what if I flamed your story until it was ash  
  
Almaseti: ha!  
  
Almaseti: you can try  
  
Almaseti: I'll flame back  
  
Almaseti: tell you off  
  
Almaseti: or ignore you  
  
Almaseti: depends.  
  
Alex Damioh: what if I fill you mailbox with flame  
  
Alex Damioh: every hour  
  
Almaseti: I'd block you  
  
Almaseti: and laugh at how pathetic you are  
  
Almaseti: to write me a flame every hour  
  
Alex Damioh: I have a lot of time on my hands  
  
Almaseti: ^_^ I don't  
  
Alex Damioh: ill get some pro hackers to go under you account and send in horrible stories  
  
Almaseti: dinner's on!  
  
Alex Damioh: oooh  
  
Alex Damioh: yum  
  
Almaseti: there's no way to do that  
  
Almaseti: the hackers tricked people into giving them the passwords  
  
Almaseti: you'd have to hack through a bunch of stuff  
  
Alex Damioh: well just guess your password  
  
Alex Damioh: the old fashioned way  
  
Almaseti: you'd never guess  
  
Alex Damioh: there real good  
  
Almaseti: they don't know me  
  
Alex Damioh: are you sure  
  
Alex Damioh: you'd be amazed what bribery and blackmail could to  
  
Almaseti: I think we're getting off-topic  
  
Almaseti: and I could do that back to you  
  
Alex Damioh: ....lemmie see...next question  
  
Alex Damioh: name an occupation  
  
Almaseti: I got to go  
  
Almaseti: talk to you later  
  
Alex Damioh: Aaaw  
  
Alex Damioh: k  
  
Alex Damioh: See ya  
  
Almaseti: bye  
  
Alex Damioh: :-D bye 


	12. Chapter 12: They Meet

Sorry everyone, School has been keeping me occupied and I've also been working on a new story that I will release somewhere in November-December. But you'll have more of "His Path". I would like to thank all reviewers for their patience and I am happy to welcome new ones.

This chapter will have many things introduced to you: Many memories, thoughts and characters (secondary). Also, Jedeite will get what's coming for him after that last chapter.

Anon, You might be impressed with this chapter. It's a taste of his growing power. But the real one is when he goes to space.

Sjp1, finally, another Darien lover. Nice to meet one.

Hey Nick Johnson, great to hear from you again! I'm glad you're still reading my fanfic and I will gladly answer your questions.

6. When this fanfic began, where was Darien? He was in the time gates.

7. How did he get there? Since Pluto also obeys the Prince of Earth as well as the Moon princess, he has the authority to go to the time gates like Serena and Rini.

8. Why was he there, anyway? The ice age has destroyed the environment and frozen everyone. He can't survive without food, water or heat. The time gates supply him with heat and since time doesn't exist there, he can't age nor die from starvation and dehydration.

9. And he was watching everything that was going on from where he was, right? Right.

10. How was he able to see everything from where he was? The mirror allows him to see the planet since he can't excess the time gates without Pluto's staff.

11. When he was watching the snow and wind hit the earth, was this happening naturally? While snow and wind is expected in an ice age, this was caused by an alien that wanted to destroy earth, so I'd have to say yes and no.

Thanks for the questions.

Pike, don't worry; I won't end this story anytime soon. This will be completed.

Warning: Vegeta may seem slightly OOC.

Alex Damioh: Disclaimer: Dragon Ball Z belongs to Akira Toriyama and Toei Animation; Sailor moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi and Kodansha. Ta da! Yeah, it's pretty generic but the best stories have bland disclaimers. (and I'm going through some sort of disclaimer's block O.o) At the end we'll have an interview with one of the characters.

Chapter 12: They Meet

"What do you mean there's something else after Darien? What could possibly come after our Prince?" Zoisite asked, worriedly. "This couldn't be! Why was evil rearing its ugly head at such a crucial moment?"

"I am still not sure on that, but whoever they are, they come from the future. They could come in anytime, appear in anyplace, not to mention their power exceeded Cosmos, how that is possible, I am not sure. We must be prudent and prepared for them or our test would be for naught." Nephlite said as sweat beads appeared on his forehead. He was still exhausted from his star reading. It had been a while since he had something this intense attack his mind.

"So we have the 'light' and these new nega-bad guys stalking our Prince? What do they want?" Jedeite asked, crossing his arms as he leaned on the Gates of Time.

"We do not know for sure. But what we do know for sure is that one of them needs him for its own agenda while apparently will stop at nothing to destroy him." Machalite said.

"This is getting out of hand. We already have the 'light' to deal with. We can't have strange monsters come and try to take our Prince away from us. We already failed once protecting him; we can't let history repeat itself again." Zoisite practically yelled.

"For once, Zoisite, we are in agreement," Machalite concurred. "Darien cannot fight these beings. Hopefully, they won't come too soon. We must prepare ourselves." The terran guards grimly nodded. Then the magic mirror on the wall shifted its reflection. Gaea's face appeared.

"Generals! Report to Elysian palace immediately! We have an important meeting there that requires your presence!" She commanded, and then the looking mirror went blank rather abruptly. The terran warriors looked at each other. For weeks, not a word from Gaea and now she requires their presence back in Elysian? This was getting strange. Machalite made a note to himself that he will finally get some answers from her majesty.

"All right, everyone, follow me!" Machalite ordered. With that uttered, they disappeared in the fog.

Meanwhile, back on Earth, Piccolo was sleeping on his side of the cave, having something between a dream, a memory and a nightmare.

In the palace of Earth, there was a celebration going on for the Prince. It was his sixth birthday today. As such a day; everybody, be they important or unimportant, was invited. King Reginald was nowhere in sight to celebrate his "son's" birthday. This was no surprise to the young terran prince. Sometimes, he did not even know what his father looked like, and considering that he never is around him.

Not that Endymion cares; He never liked his father, anyway.

The white marble ballroom was spotless with sparkling chandeliers suspended from the ceiling and tenors singing songs of rejoice to the Prince while the guests danced to the music. Prince Endymion was dancing with his mother and laughing happily. After the dance, Queen Gaea walked to the gardens to pick her most prize roses for her son. Lady Beryl, Her trainer and best friend, followed her there. Both were wearing simple light-blue dresses and had their hair in ponytails. But unlike Beryl, Gaea had her midnight-black wings on her back. Beryl chuckled as she watched the spiky-haired teenager gleefully pick the most beautiful roses from the garden.

"My, my, my, aren't we excited today? You act as if it were your birthday." Lady Beryl teased.

Gaea laughed jovially. "It's my son's sixth birthday. You do realize what that means?"

Beryl nodded. "Yes. Endymion will finally be trained to use the Golden crystal."

"Yes. He is ready for his training. And I can't think of a more worthy person to train him then me." She said with a large smile.

"It's too bad you're training him to use his crystal now. I hear the Moon Princess has been trained to use hers since her third birthday. I hope Endymion will be stronger then her." Beryl mused.

"Really, Beryl. The 50-century war with the people of the moon has ended. Let it go."

"How can you ask me to do that? Do you know how many of my students have died because of them, my baby brother being one of them?" Beryl exclaimed. She absolutely loathed the Lunarians. That hatred would consume her one day and Gaea knew it.

"Yes, I happened to have lost some fine officers of my own in that war. But it will do no good to continue it and have more people die. We are at peace now, something my ancestors couldn't achieve." Gaea exclaimed.

"I still don't see why you had to have his lordship betrothed to the Moon Princess. Does Endymion even like her?"

"Believe me Beryl; if they don't like the engagement, they have the power to cancel it. I would never force my son to marry someone he doesn't love, but I doubt that's the case. You should have seen them together on our last meeting of the silver alliance on the moon. Endy was so calm and serene near her. Not only that, but he was capable of having fun with her. I have never seen him this way. He was so happy, something he hasn't been lately. This arrangement will do him good and it will solidify the Earth and Moon Alliance. Reginald agreed as well, seeing it a perfect way to have his descendants have the throne to the moon."

"Hee, hee, hee! Does he even know yet that Endymion is not his son? That Endymion is the son of a Demon King of another world?"

"Shhhhhhhhhh, be careful! Reginald's spies are everywhere. Do not speak of it here."

Beryl grinned mischievously. "I'm surprised no one figured it out yet! Before the time you were pregnant, you never shared the same bed, and speaking of beds, some people have said that Lord Reginald is terrible in bed."

This time, Gaea laughed. "Some people are right."

They continued their girl talk until the tenors started to sing 'Happy Birthday' in the Ballroom.

"We better get back before we miss the song." Beryl suggested. She walked back only to see that Gaea was not following her. Gaea was trembling and was hugging herself to control herself. Her eyes were filled with tears and Beryl could see blue veins appear on her forehead.

"Gaea, what has happened?!" She asked worriedly as she ran to her friend.

Gaea's started to speak in a harsh whisper. "No! He is dead! Those bastards! They killed him! They killed my lover!"

"Gaea…" Beryl started quietly but was quickly interrupted.

"They killed him! My one true love! My soul-mate! THE OTHER HALF OF MY SOUL! HE IS GONE! GONE FOREVER AND I SHALL NEVER BE REUNITED WITH HIM IN HEAVEN BECAUSE ALL DEMONS, EVEN GOOD ONES, GO TO HELL!!" her voice had gone from a whisper to shouting. She started crying uncontrollably.

"Gaea! Please listen to reason! I'm sure it's all a mistake! Maybe he's unconscious……………."

"YOU FOOL! PICCOLO AND I ARE LINKED! I KNOW WHEN HE'S UNCONSCIOUS AND WHEN HE'S DEAD! PICCOLO IS DEAD! THE ONLY MAN I EVER LOVED IS DEAD! THE ONE THING IN THE UNIVERSE THAT I WOULD KILL TO PROTECT IS GONE FOREVER! I WILL NEVER FEEL HIS PRESENCE EVER AGAIN! AND THAT IS CONSIDERED HELL TO ME, THE VERY THOUGHT TO NEVER FEEL HIS PRESENCE! I CANNOT LIVE NOW! I WISH TO DIE ALONG WITH HIM! PICCOLO! PLEASE COME BACK! YOU ARE MUCH STRONGER THEN THAT! PLEASE! COME BACK! DO NOT LIVE ME ALONE!" Suddenly, her eyes snapped opened as realization hit her. Her mouth gaped open and a tear dropped from her right eye, except that tear was made of blood. "By the crown of Gaea, what have I done?" She whispered.

"What is wrong now, my lady?" Beryl asked carefully.

"In my despair and great amount of weakness, I have made a mistake." She said with wide eyes. Her ears were starting to bleed.

"What has happened?" Beryl asked, getting a bad feeling in her stomach.

"I wanted to die. I just wished that I died with Piccolo; I forgot that the Earth Golden crystal grants my heart's desire. The Golden crystal has granted my wish." She wailed.

"NO! YOUR MAJESTY, HOW COULD YOU! AND ON THIS DAY AS WELL, YOUR MAJESTY! FIGHT IT!" Beryl yelled.

"I'm afraid not, old friend. I will die now." She said softly as the blood rushed out faster.

"No! Gaea! Please don't do this! What about Earth?"

"I am a weak. Reginald was right, the Sailor Scouts were right, everyone was right about me. I may have the power of the Golden crystal. But what good is all that power if I could not save the man I loved." Her spoke in a whisper again and was falling head first towards the floor. Beryl caught her before her head hit the ground. Beryl was shocked at just how pale Gaea was getting, considering she was normally as pale as chalk.

"Please, what about Endymion?"

"My son, I am weaker then I ever dreamed I was. To leave my son an orphan, on the day of his celebration? I am not just weak, I am heartless. He does not deserve to have a mother like me."

"No! Your majesty! That's not what I meant! You are not weak! You are the strongest, most capable soldier I've ever met! You have a heart that would rival the Moon Princess': always giving and wanting nothing in return. So loving and wants only what's best for the kingdom of Earth. You are also the best friend I have ever had. You are like a sister to me! Please Gaea, don't die on me."

Gaea's eyes watered. She closed her eyes and the Golden crystal flew out of her body. "Lady Beryl, take the crystal and give it to my cousin Helios, who protects the Elysian Fields in my absence. Make sure my husband does not get his hands on it. It must be in safe hands for now." She coughed some blood out of her mouth.

"Gaea." She awed as the crystal came in her hand.

"And promise me that my son and Princess Serenity will be the best of friends, whether they marry or not. I do not want Earth to go through yet another war. Please, put aside your hatred and help Endymion rule Earth." She whispered. Beryl was in tears.

"I am going to die now. Tell Endymion that I am sorry that I died so selfishly and dishonorably. And tell Queen Serenity that I am sorry that I disappointed her. I must go to see my brother King Yemma. I will request to him to send me to Hell so that I may beg for Piccolo's forgiveness. Good-bye, my friend. You and Endymion will always be in my heart." She said. Then she drew her last breath and died. Her face still held tears and her body lost all warmth. Her wings fell limply on the ground.

"Gaea! Gaea! NO! PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME! COME BACK!" Beryl shouted as she held the dead queen. "ALERT! ALERT! THE QUEEN IS DEAD! HER MAJESTY, QUEEN GAEA IS DEAD! SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME!!"

Piccolo's eyes shot open after the dream. He was breathing in short; shallow breaths and his eyes were wide with overwhelming sadness and regret. But what bothered him most was his soul. When he saw Gaea dead in Beryl's arms, he felt it shatter into irreparable pieces.

'Gaea. Was that how you died? I'm so sorry. If I had only known my death would have triggered yours, I would never have…'

He immediately shook his head. It was no use thinking that. There had been no other way to save Gohan's life. And how was he to know that his death would affect Gaea? He didn't even know she existed.

He frowned, that's what had been bothering him lately. Why did Gaea wipe out his memories? More importantly, why did she wipe out Darien's memories and send him out of his own dimension? It didn't make any sense. He sighed. Whatever the reasons, he'll have to find out sooner or later. When Jedeite came back to wherever the hell he and Zoisite went, he was going to have him revive his hidden memories.

He turned to Darien's side of the cave. It had been almost three days since Gohan's wedding when he and Darien moved out to his cave. Darien didn't have much to pack except for his star locket, the Earth power sword and his 'Usagi' doll. It had been a heart-wrenching good bye between him and his fellow nature lover, Popo. Darien promised to visit him as much as possible. Dende found it especially hard to say good bye to Piccolo, who was, in a way, his brother. But he understood the circumstances. He promised to make sure that their training area was bad weather-free. (Piccolo knew sooner or later that Dende would go back on that word.) It had turned out better then he imagined. Darien didn't mind or care that he was moved way from civilization. In fact, Darien seemed more at peace, like a large weight had been removed from his body. He was in a better mood then Piccolo had seen in ages. Piccolo wished that they had moved in the cave a long time ago. He turned to Darien's bed, which were a pile of dry leaves and a thin sheet of cover. Darien wasn't there. He locked on his ki and sensed that Darien was outside.

Worried, he walked out to see why Darien was up this late. Flying a few kilometers over the thick, dark forest; he saw Darien, in his blue pajamas, standing near the edge of a jagged cliff. He had his eyes closed, but Piccolo could see that he was in tears. He landed just a few feet behind him.

"Darien, what's wrong?" He asked, looking worried.

Darien's eyes were still closed when he answered. "They're dead."

"Who are dead, Darien?" he asked, generally concerned.

"My children; my beautiful, proud and powerful children." He said, his voice sounding unusually deep.

Piccolo frowned.

"Cymbal, my third son, was born thirty minutes from me and already he was stolen from me. He never had a chance to accomplish his goal. Tambourine, my second son was a warrior and a skillful one at that. He was loyal to the bone and would have done anything for me. He died shortly after Cymbal. Drum, my fourth son and the strongest one, had a sheer enjoyment for fighting and always had a smile on his face. And my first-born, Piano, wasn't even a warrior, but an advisor to me if I was going to make a decision. He was intelligent, had faith in me and he was always worried for my well-being. He died by accident, by my own hands. It was my fault! I tried to avenge their deaths, but that monkey-tailed freak was too much for me!" He said as his eyes slowly moved to blink away his tears, Piccolo saw a flicker of red in his eyes.

"That's where you come in, YOU BLOOD TRAITOR!" he suddenly screamed out. He turned and opened his eyes to reveal a pair of glowing red eyes that were filled with tears. His body was giving off a faint gray glow and the wind suddenly blew ominously. "YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO AVENGE THEM! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO AVENGE ME AS WELL! HOW DARE YOU TURN YOUR BACK ON YOUR FAMILY! HOW DARE YOU BE GOKU AND HIS HALF-BREED SON'S FRIEND! HOW DARE YOU NOT TAKE OVER EARTH? BUT MOST OF ALL, HOW DARE YOU HAVE A HALF-BREED DEMON IN MY FAMILY? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA OF WHAT HUMILIATION I MUST ENDURE IN HELL BECAUSE OF THIS SCANDAL?!!" He shouted; rage was evident on his face. Piccolo stared at him, the frown still planted on his face. He kneeled at Darien's height and looked at him in the eyes. Piccolo's eyes went hot-white and he released a yell that probably shook the planet as he powered up. Darien screamed as he fell backwards, started writhing for a second and then stopped moving. Piccolo calmed down. That was a psychic attack he just used. He learned it from one of Kami's memories; it was specifically created to make sure that something like this was prevented. Darien slowly came to. He looked at Piccolo, confused.

"Piccolo… I mean dad, what just happened there?" he asked, a little dazed by the attack.

"Go to sleep Darien. Tomorrow, I'm going to start training you in how to make mental barriers." Piccolo said before walking back to his cave.

Meanwhile, in Limbo, Michael slowly walked to his Lady's chamber. This was the most difficult part of his job. He had to tell his Queen that they had failed twice and brought yet another ally in the enemy's midst. He opened her private chambers and walked in. The room was entirely white with a crystal chandelier on the top of the ceiling, which showed the cosmos just above their heads. His Lady was sitting white throne and was currently staring at her crystal ball with a transfixed expression. Michael coughed to get her attention.

"Yes?" she asked, moving her eyes away from her crystal ball.

"Hermes has been destroyed." He said quickly.

"I have been aware of that for sometime now."

"Are you also aware, my lady, that Zoisite, the guardian of ice, has joined the fray?"

"Yes I am." She sighed. This was old news to her.

"And that the abomination now has access to the powers of the golden crystal?"

She turned and looked at him. "Are you saying that the abomination can use the full power of the golden crystal?" if that was the case, then they were in deep trouble.

"No. Otherwise I'd be worried. _It_ can only use a small amount of its power. But soon, if we don't stop _it_ soon, _it_'ll be able to call upon the golden crystal at will." He said with a touch of worry in his eyes.

She frowned. This was not looking good. All their attempts had done nothing but strengthen the boy. It was time they changed tactics. But how?

Then an idea hit her! They couldn't fight him physically, so why not mentally? His mental stability wasn't doing so well, anyway. And she knew just the two messengers for the job.

"Michael, it's time we send out the Star twins." She commanded.

"The twins?" He asked. "Pardon my insolence My Lady, but are they really necessary?"

"Yes. Their psychic powers are just what we need right now." She insisted with a smile.

"Very well, My Lady. I shall summon them immediately." He turned to leave, only to be interrupted by the question he feared she would ask.

"Oh, and by the way, answer me one question: How goes our escape from limbo?"

Michael completely paled at the question. Building up his courage, he answered, "We've come to a conclusion My Lady." He murmured, choosing his words very carefully.

"And the conclusion would be?" she asked, calmly, but there was a hint of impatience in her voice.

"We believe that each time we make a dent through the wall that binds us here, another one appears behind the old one. The effort is futile, I'm afraid." He said.

He looked at his Lady. She had her eyes closed and was doing the best she could to get rid of the frustration that was building up in her. A white light overtook her body and the frustration disappeared as soon as it came in. she opened her eyes and said. "Keep trying." Then she turned around and looked in her crystal ball to see Darien sparring with Piccolo.

Piccolo and Darien were rested after their long sparring match. Piccolo had to admit, his son had greatly improved, and all without going 'demon' or 'prince' on him. He knew that Darien was only able to fight Goku and Vegeta because his demon form was helping him. While he had little understanding on Darien's 'prince' form, he was sure that it was just as strong as his 'demon' form. Piccolo frowned. It made him weary to know that Darien turned demon more often then he goes 'prince'. To him, it was all the more reason why he would teach him how to block out any memories from Daimio. The less contact from his father, the less likely he would go demon on them. He turned to Darien, who was currently trying to shake off any lack of sleep he had last night.

"Alright Darien, I'm going to give you a small mental push in your brain, I want you to try and block it. This is to prevent you from getting anymore surprises from 'dear old dad', so focus." He said as he crossed his arms and stood up straight. Darien was mimicking the exact pose, except his was not as impressive.

"Do it." Darien demanded, getting himself ready.

Piccolo closed his eyes, his body releasing a blue aura. At first, Darien felt nothing, and then suddenly, he was being stoned to death by a group of children. He was quickly snapped out of it by Piccolo, who was shaking his shoulder.

"What was that?" Darien asked.

"It's one of my memories. I wasn't very popular as a child. Try to block this one." He said as he threw another memory. This time it wasn't his father's memories, but Daimio's. He was going to kill a very large soldier with crew-cut black hair. He lifted the giant up with his right hand and struck his left hand through the soldier's chest. Unbinding joy was quickly followed as the man died.

"DARIEN! SNAP OUT OF IT!!!" Piccolo screamed as he watched his son go demon before his eyes. Darien immediately went back to normal.

"Sorry." He muttered. How embarrassing! He should have had more self-control then that.

"All right, I can see that this may take a while for to learn how to block, so why not call it a day." He sighed. He should have known better then to give him that memory. He turned to see if Darien was following him, only to see that he wasn't. He was standing there with a frozen expression.

"Darien?" Piccolo called. No effect, Darien was still frozen. Piccolo realized he was getting another memory from Daimio.

"Darien? Darien, wake up! Damn it, wake up!" He ordered as he shook his son's shoulders. It was no use, Darien was in too deep, and was a bad one too, judging from the whimpers his son was making.

"Darien! Darien, please answer me! Darien, wake up?" he called. But he was getting no answer. 'Crap! When I get my hands on my father, he's going to receive a psychic attack that will leave him with a headache for eons." He thought as he focused his powers.

Darien looked around from his surroundings. He was in a dark tunnel of some sort. He was not afraid of the dark but that didn't mean he liked where he was. Looking around, he saw a light at the south-east.

'That must be the way out.' He deduced. He ran straight towards the light. Then he noticed someone running from the light. He tried to focus his eyes to see who it was when he was suddenly bulldozed by it. They were both sent crashing back to the darkness. He immediately jumped back to his feet to fight off what had hit him.

"Nice surprise attack! But you're going to pay for it." He snarled and looked for his attacker. He looked down to see a little girl in a blue sailor fuku around the age of seven with pink hair that was done in cone-shaped pigtails.

'It's that pink-haired girl again. I wonder if she's related to Serena in any way?' he mused. He bent down to the limp child and gently shook her shoulder. She whimpered and curled up in a ball.

"Hey, don't be afraid. I didn't mean any of it; I would never hurt you." He soothed, wondering why he being so nice all of the sudden. She looked up and Darien was confronted by the biggest red eyes he had ever seen. For some reason, the blood-red color looked deeply familiar on her, and not in a good way. But they looked so cute on her and they went so well with her pink hair that he gave it no second thought. He gave her another small shake on the shoulder and she calmed down. She still seemed scared, though.

"You're not?" She whispered.

He smiled and helped her up. "I promise."

She clutched his arms. "Then help me! They want to hurt me! Don't let them!" She whimpered.

"Who would dare?" He asked angrily as his eyes glowed red.

"I don't know. All I know is that they hate me. They said I deserve to die." She said, she then wrapped her small arms around Darien and started crying softly. Darien, for his part, was feeling murderous. Whoever it was that wanted to do any harm on her will not die a painless death.

He would make them beg for it.

"Let the fools come, I'll destroy anyone or anything that would hurt you." He hissed. How dare they? He couldn't imagine anyone cruel enough to harm this sweet little angel.

Wait a minute! Why the Hell was he caring so much?

She perked up. ''Really?''

He perked up as well. ''Really, Really! By the way, who are you?'' he was rather curious as to who she was.

''Oh, my name is Serena, but everyone calls me Rini.'' She said with a smile that melted his heart.

Rini. Now that was a cute nick-name and it fitted her well.

Wait.

Serena was her name?

That couldn't be right! That name already belongs to the golden-haired one. They were already alike as it was; why would any parent give their child the same name? It would add to too much confusion. They had to be sisters; they were too alike in appearance to not be.

''Your name is Serena?"

"Actually, its Serenity, I was named after my mother. But to avoid confusion, we call me Serena. I won't be called Serenity until I ascend the throne." She said intelligently.

Serenity, d'uh! That was the full name of his betrothed.

Wait, the throne?

The throne! Of course, she must be talking about the moon throne. But Jedeite and Zoisite never mentioned her. And what does she mean ascend the throne? Serenity will ascend the throne. He was just about to ask her what she meant by all this when she suddenly hugged him so tightly it would put Marron's hugs to shame.

"Oh no, they're coming! Save me!" she cried.

Darien waited to see what was going to attack her. Instead, he saw his father.

"Father, am I glad to see you!" He said as he approached him, but was stopped short by one swat from Piccolo's hand.

Darien picked himself up as he stared at his father.

"Dad, why did you do that?" Then, Darien was overcome with horror as to what he saw next.

The Z-senshi, including Goten and Trunks, all surrounded Rini. She kept crying for Darien to help her as they powered up. They all aimed their most powerful attacks at Rini.

"KAMEHAME-HA!"

"FINAL FLASH!"

"TRI-BEAM!"

"BUSTER CANNON!"

"SPECIAL BEAM CANNON!"

Rini didn't even have time to scream. She was gone. Darien could not believe what his father and friends had done. He fell to his knees as he stared at the spot as to where Rini used to be.

"Why?" he whispered. How could his friends do this? Weren't they the good guys?

Goku answered it. "She was a danger to the cosmos. She is not only a chaos magnet, but she is also his heiress. We had to destroy her before she would have destroyed peace forever."

"YOU KILLED AN INNOCENT TO PRESERVE PEACE?!!!" Darien screamed angrily, his eyes redder then ever.

Vegeta sneered. "She was no innocent, and nor are you for that matter. We should have left you to those messengers a long time ago."

Darien stared at his friend in shock as his eyes changed back to blue immediately. "Vegeta…"

Gohan interrupted him. "We can't keep putting lives in danger just to save your own. I'm tired of fighting to defend you, especially someone who was born to kill my family."

"You really think we don't have anything better to do then to save you. I don't care if you are Piccolo's son, because of you; all our loved ones are in danger." Videl shouted.

Darien had tears in his eyes as the words attacked him. He turned to his father. Piccolo's usual scowl, if anything, was darker then usual.

"Dad! Piccolo! You don't see me as that, do you? I'm your son, you can't agree with this insanity!"

SLAP

Darien cradled his cheek as tears trinkled down his face. Had his father just struck him? When Piccolo spoke, there was spite and hatred in his voice.

"You are the son of some girl I have long since forgotten years ago. I didn't even know you were my child until days ago. I have no emotional ties to you, do you really think I would welcome you with open arms as my son." He put his hand on Gohan's shoulder. "Especially when I already have a son. Gohan had been there for me, especially in my bitter times. I didn't love you when we met, so why should this knowledge of you being my child affect my judgment on you now."

Darien was shaking his head violently. This wasn't happening! This was a sick joke, they didn't mean it! They were supposed to be his friends!

"Guys, please, you don't mean this!" He whispered.

"Yes we do, Darien! You're not our friend. We hate you." Trunks stated. Goten vigorously nodded in agreement.

"But…"

Vegeta exploded. "I'm through talking," in a more sinister voice, he said. "And now so are you." Before Darien could make a break for it, Piccolo grabbed him from behind and held him tightly. The rest pulled out gleaming swords out of nowhere and lifted them over Darien's head. Then, he was interrupted by two things: One was a powerful psychic wave of energy that wiped out the Z-senshi and the other was a very loud…………

"DARIEN! WAKE UP!"

Darien snapped out of it. He looked wildly around as he looked for any sign of the Z-senshi. He looked at his father, who was trying to calm himself down.

"Darien? Are you all right?" he asked, even though it was a stupid question.

Darien didn't say anything at first. He looked at his father.

He looked.

And looked.

And looked, until finally….

SLAP

Darien ran into the cave, leaving Piccolo holding his right cheek. His ears picked up the sound of heavy sobbing. He didn't know what Darien had seen but it must've been bad. He touched his cheek. That slap had hurt him.

Physically and emotionally, of course.

That night, Piccolo walked in the cave after some deep thinking. He saw Darien in bed, sleeping. He leaned forward and covered him up. He was still a little stupefied by the events and had been shocked to see Darien so scared and filled with despair, what hurt him more was the fact that Darien had taken it out on him. He was deeply saddened that Darien was not telling him what he saw and went as far as to mentally block him, even though he would never do that without his son's permission. He swore that nothing would come to harm him. He looked up in the sky and glowered at it.

"Stay the hell away from my son, 'Light'! Or I swear I will wipe your so-called souls out from this existence." He growled.

Back in limbo, Michael was looking for the star twins. But the problem with messengers was that they couldn't stand still for more then five minutes, that and they were always dimensional-hopping.

"How goes the search, Michael?" The Queen asked as she walked up to him.

"Slow, very slow, it might take weeks or even months to find them."

The Queen tilted her head in a bird-like manner. "Use the wide beam alert then." She simply stated.

"But that could use up to 60 of our powers; we would be low on our powers for a week!"

The Queen gave him a serene smile. Michael had learned a long time ago that when she smiled like that, you better do as she said.

"But I will do it, anyway." He said leaving the room as quickly as possible.

'Ahhhhhhh, progress.' The Queen pondered, happily.

The very next day, Darien walked out of the cave feeling a lot better about what had happened. He knew his father and friends would have never reacted like that. He walked to the spot to spot where Piccolo was meditating. He was in a deep meditating trance. Despite his passive face, Darien could see that every now and then, Piccolo would rub his cheek.

The same cheek where he had slapped him.

Darien bit his lip as he saw that action. He never felt so guilty in his life. He had to do something to redeem himself of that.

"I know!" He said. He then disappeared off into the woods.

Seconds later, he flew back to Piccolo with a bouquet of roses. Piccolo opened his eyes and saw a smiling boy in a purple gi holding two dozen red and white roses.

"Sorry about yesterday. Forgive me?" He asked sweetly. His eyes were bluer then ever and there was a tinge of gold in them. His aura was even different. No longer did he feel his father's shadow within him.

Piccolo blinked in confusion while he accepted the roses. His son was even acting different, he seemed way nicer then he should be. Then a thought occurred to him.

"Darien, where did you get those roses? There aren't any growing here in the forest."

"They are, now." He smiled. For a second, his eyes glowed, but not to blood red, but into a golden glow. He took his father's claws and led him to an open field. What used to be a dead area due to his training was now a scene of greenery filled with roses, lilacs and jasmines. He looked at his son. Darien was smiling peacefully at the scene before walking off to the cave.

That's how it had been for several days for Piccolo. He was confused, while he knew Darien had an effect on nature, but he didn't know it worked in reverse too. Then again, Darien had proven to be the heir to Earth so far in the past few days after that incident. The forest became more fertile then ever. The animals were incredibly healthy. There wasn't a sick animal in sight. The wildlife even recognized Darien as the future king of Earth. The trees seem to bow down to him, the animals (be it mice or saber-toothed lions; insects or dinosaurs) respected him and sometimes they would even play with him. That wasn't what amazed him. What amazed him was that Darien was much more kind-hearted to animals then he was to people. He even laughed and smiled more often. It was amazing the effect nature had on him. Was it because of the fact that Earth was his element? It would make sense, but he'll have to ask Jedeite and Zoisite about it.

He frowned. Those two had been gone for more then two weeks and there was still no response as to when they might come back. 'Damn those two! When I don't need them, they're here. When I do need them, they're not. Now I understand why Vegeta blew up Nappa.' He thought. He shrugged. 'Oh well, wherever they went, it had better be important.'

Indeed, it was important. Jedeite, Nephlite, Zoisite and Machalite found themselves in front of a large, white palace in the center of the Elysian Fields. It was wide around the sides and had a pyramid-shaped roof over it. The front had a long river surrounding it with many flowers and animals around it. The main flowers were Forget-me-nots and the Endymion flowers, which were Gaea's favorites. There were statues of past warriors and beautiful Queens of the past. It was impressive in appearance, but they had yet to enter the building. The building was made of a light-pink marble. There were shapes of triangles on the side. In front of them was a fountain with baby angels spouting pure water. They walked on a red carpet that leads to a room that was engraved in the gold initials "E.C." (To stand for "Earthen Council") on the top of the door. When they opened the door, they saw in the center of the room a large, round, white marble table that held many people of different races. The royal guards instantaneously recognized them as the Earthen Council: Lord Lykouleon, Merlin, Elrond, San AKA Princess Mononoke, Helios and a number of others they did not recognize. There was an empty seat. It was a golden throne with a lions head engraved at the top. It was Gaea's chair. There was another empty seat on the right of the throne but they did not know who sat there. The council acknowledged the guards.

"Welcome warriors of Terra, what brings you here?" Helios of Elysian asked.

"We were sent by her royal majesty to be there for this meeting." Machalite answered.

"So far, our fears have been confirmed. Endymion is growing increasingly violent since his demon heritage has reawakened. It will only be a matter of time before he turns his back on his terran heritage and becomes a threat to our Earth, the Elysian Fields, and the Earth of the Kai dimension." said an Elrond of the Elven kingdom.

"You speak nonsense. Endymion has fought his dark half before, in the past and in the present life. He has managed to protect the 'light of hope' Serenity and preserve peace on earth. He will not turn on us, I'm sure of it." said Lord Lykouleon, representative of the dragons.

"I don't blame him for hating humans. But hatred comes in many shapes and forms. Soon, it won't just be humans he'll hate but every living being on earth. We can't take that risk." Princess Mononoke of the forest added.

"This is exactly why this test was created: To see if Endymion is worthy of being King or protector of Earth. If he doesn't pass this test by his 18th birthday, he will be banished to a sub-space dimension for the protection of mankind." Merlin of the Wizarding circle wisely stated.

"Hopefully, it will not come to that." A sweet but authorative voice interrupted.

The council members and royal guards turned around to see who that was.

"BERYL!!" shouted the guards, flabbergasted. And there she was, the real McCoy. She was still in a skin-tight, dark-blue dress with a lighter blue head-piece around her head. She looked exactly the way they had last seen her except she had a bold yet friendly look on her face.

"What's she doing here?" Jedeite asked out loud, forgetting where he was. Lykouleon looked at him strangely.

"Lady Beryl is part of the council. She represents man."

At that, Jedeite and Zoisite's jaws vaulted. Nephlite and Machalite were no less surprised but they had enough self-control to not show it. She gave them a small wave and a friendly smile. She sat on a golden chair that was at the right of the Queen's throne.

"We may be testing Endymion, but we are still loyal to him. We are to give him a fair chance and not screw this test up. Endymion has done so much to Earth and died for it. It's high time we give him something in return; after all he's been through. Besides, if you want to talk about betrayal, let's talk about how Earth has treated our prince while he lived his life as a human. I don't remember any happiness in his life until he was reunited with the Moon Princess Serenity" Beryl said.

"Then we are in agreement, then? If Endymion passes my test, it will prove that I was right, that he isn't dangerous. And letting him go through with it will allow you to realize that I did not bring dishonor to the Royal Terran family." proclaimed a powerful voice.

Everyone turned to the sound of the voice. There stood Queen Gaea in all her splendor. The Sailor fuku was gone. In its place was a beautiful black dress that was tight on the upper-body but flowed down, covering her feet. It was quite similar to the dress queen Serenity wears except where the butterfly wings were replaced by her black wings. Her pale-white skin stood out well with it all the black. She did not wear any jewelry or make-up except for a touch of pink lipstick and two arm braces on each side of her arms. Blazing on her forehead in a golden shine was the insigma of Earth. On her head was a silver crown with a topaz heart-shaped gem on it. Her hair was no longer in a single ponytail, but in two pigtails. The one culture that the Terran and Lunarian society share together is that they must keep their hair in a specific style: an oriental hairstyle. But unlike the Lunarians who keep theirs in buns, the Terrans keep theirs in cones.

"Hey! That's Rini's hairstyle!" Jedeite whispered.

Machalite chuckled. "I'm not surprised that our future Princess of Earth has chosen her Terran heritage over her Lunarian." There was something strange about what he said: It was like he was hinting something. As if hearing this, Gaea turned her eyes to them. They immediately noticed the gold specks in her eyes. She smiled and beckoned them to come forward. They stood up from their and walked up towards her, not before casting a weary glance at Beryl, who gave them a small smile.

"Jedeite, step forward and report." She ordered, no longer sounding like a teenager, but now **a regal queen**. Jedeite stepped up in front of the council. He bowed and reported his progress.

"Our Prince has successfully passed my test. He has proven himself worthy for the sword of power and has gained his 'Prince' form on his own. He continues to grow stronger in power and he is coming close to gaining control of the Golden Crystal. However; he is having difficulties with his demonic powers, but nothing his father and I can't handle." Jedeite said in a clear voice.

"Thank you, Jedeite. You may be seated." Gaea said with a nod. Jedeite sat back in his place. "Zoisite," she then ordered. "Rise, my general. Tell us your report."

Zoisite walked up nervously up the council. "Well, my Prince has proven himself worthy for my loyalty. He is keeping cool under pressure under certain situations and has been very responsible so far. He is even capable of handling adult fights."

"Are you saying there hasn't been a time when he loses that cool?" A representative from the Mermaid kingdom asked.

Zoisite gulped. "There are times when he loses his cool and embraces his demon heritage. But he is somewhat able to keep it under control. When he does lose it, he is quite disgusted with his behavior and actions. He is very troubled with his demon, he wishes it gone."

"I see. So he is losing control of his demon. And from what we've heard and seen, he is slowly losing grip in reality. You have been ordered to stop him if he poses any threat to Earth, am I correct?" Princess Mononoke asked.

Zoisite paled. "Yes."

"Are you prepared to do this if worse comes to worse?" Merlin asked slowly, knowing very well how protective Zoisite was of Darien.

It was a good thing that Gaea intervened because Zoisite had no clue as to how to answer that. "Enough! They have their orders and they will carry them out if that should ever happen, but do not think that it is happening now and we should plan his death at the moment. He is still your Prince and you owe him loyalty. My son will succeed! Not only will he succeed, he will prove to everyone once and for all that he was the chosen King for both Earth and Heaven! Do I make myself clear?" She said in a loud voice.

The council knew better then to disagree with her, so they all nodded. Gaea looked at them and calmly spoke again. "It is understandable that you fear what will happen if he fails, but we must keep our cool. My son will prove himself worthy to be protector of Earth and Heaven…" She paused and then added with a mischievous smile. "And also Hell." She got a few collected gasps from the room.

"He cannot even defend himself, much less the Earth, Heaven and ahem Hell. And if he gains powers, what will it prove? He is still no match with this unknown enemy Nephlite speaks of." a Dwarven lord from the Dwarf Kingdom exclaimed.

Gaea frowned, her eyes turning golden for a minute. Then she looked at every one of them in the eye and said, "My son has the power necessary to protect Earth, Heaven and Hell. Even as we speak," She waved her hand and a giant crystal ball appeared. There was an image of Darien and Piccolo sparring with each other. Although Piccolo was more skilled and experienced, Darien had an edge in him as well as a hell of a lot of power. He seemed to be enjoying himself. "He is getting stronger by the minute. And with my lover training him, he will be unstoppable." She stated. She seemed tired of talking for the moment and then said, "The meeting is over. We will start another when I see fit to it. Dismissed." The council disappeared, leaving Gaea alone with her guards. Machalite stood up and walked to his queen.

"Your royal majesty, there is something I've been meaning to ask you, if that is okay if I ask you a question?"

"Very well, what is it?"

"Why is the 'light' after Darien anyway and please do not tell me because he has demon blood because I have the feeling there is more to it then that, and also, what is the true meaning of giving Darien this test?"

Gaea sighed. She had the feeling that he was going to ask that, that was why she never returned his calls. "Machalite, you are my son's most trusted guard and I would trust you with my life. But please trust me when I say that I will tell you in due time. For now, I ask for your patience."

"I understand, your majesty." He said with a bow, though in truth, he did not.

"Good, then I shall be on my way." She said as she turned to leave when Jedeite interrupted her.

"Your majesty, wait! I have a question myself that has been bugging me for a while." He said.

She stopped, her back facing him but she spoke. "Speak it, then."

Jedeite took a deep breath. "When I spoke of you to Piccolo, he did not know who you were. I realized that his memories had been wiped out of your existence. I also realized that it was your doing that did it. Why? Why did you erase Piccolo's memories of you? It would have made it easier for him to realize who you were as well as Darien."

A sad silence fell on Elysian palace. Jedeite waited for his queen to answer. At first, she just stood there with her back at them. Then, they noticed tears drop on the floor. She turned slowly to them and they saw a soul-shattering expression. Her eyes showed sadness greater then anything they had ever seen and pain beyond all reasoning.

"My loyal friends; you have always known me to be proud of my lineage, proud of my duty to the people of Earth," She quietly said. "But there was a time when I hated it, when I wished nothing more that I was an ordinary woman with the right to marry who she chooses and the right to live her own life. I wished it after I met Piccolo. To leave him was the most difficult decision in my life." She allowed her tears to fall off her face.

"Your majesty, I…… I'm sorry; I should not have brought it up." Jedeite said. He had not meant to make the strong warrior cry. Zoisite placed a hand on his queen's shoulder. She did not push it off.

"No Jedeite, you were right to have brought it up. I shall fix this problem personally. I'm going to have to show Piccolo sooner or later that I am not a figment of his imagination." She moved Zoisite's hand off and walked away. The guards sadly watched her walk away. A voice broke the silence.

"Did you know that I was the only one who knew that Piccolo was the real father of Darien?" They turned to see who spoke. Their eyes widened to see Lady Beryl, and she too had tears in her eyes.

"I remember the day she came back from the Kai dimension. She threw herself to me and started crying. I held her for a long time before she finally composed herself and told me that she had fallen in love with a mortal enemy and to make matters worse, she was pregnant with his child. She was scared that I would tell the people, but I loved her too much to do that to her." She told them. "I was her advisor and trainer in the art of sword-fighting. She was my greatest student and best friend. I had trained countless warriors and trained even her mother, but Gaea was my ultimate accomplishment. I have never seen anyone use a sword the way she did. You can imagine my anguish when she died, taking her talents with her."

"And to remember her, you decided to work for Metallica and destroyed the Silver Millennium along with our Prince, is that it?" Zoisite retorted. He still regretted Beryl at what she did to him back at the Silver Millennium.

"I was not in the right state of mind, I'll admit that. After her death, I accused the Lunarians for it; Metallica took advantage of it and used me to destroy everyone." She confessed sadly.

"Why would you accuse the Lunarians when you knew it was the 'light's fault?" Zoisite threw back.

Her eyes grew dark with hatred and a snarl escaped her throat, making her look evil again. "Because the Lunarians were the ones who created the 'light' in the first place." She growled. With that said, she stormed out of the palace in the same direction her Queen went. The guards were stunned. The 'light' were originally created by the people of the moon?

"I suppose this is part of the information that our Queen will tell us about 'in due time'." Nephlite said, his voice heavy with sarcasm.

"NO DARIEN! NOT LIKE THAT!" Piccolo shouted at his son as he once again tried to gain his 'prince form' again and failed. While the generals were figuring out their queen, Piccolo decided to figure out his son. He wanted to see Darien's terran powers again but the results were not good.

"I am not asking you to power up, I'm asking you to contact the powers of Earth. Concentrate on its ki and try to match it."

"Easier said then done." Darien mumbled. He wanted to find out more of his heritage, too. But his father was putting too much pressure in him. It was hard getting access to a power he barely understood.

A power so alien and yet so familiar to him.

Piccolo kneeled to his height. "Look, you did it before. You used it to destroy the first messenger, you could do it again."

"But that was spontaneous!" Darien protested.

Piccolo frowned. "Do you remember how you did it? Can you try to repeat what set you off?"

"I don't remember powering up when it happened." Darien thoughtfully stated. Piccolo placed his hand under his chin and closed his eyes. Then, he opened them when he got an idea.

"In order for Saiya-jins to turn to Super Saiya-jins, they have to be deeply motivated or feel a powerful emotion. Maybe your powers work that way too? Did you feel any powerful emotion while under those rocks?

Darien thought hard. "I remember feeling anger when Bartholomew tried to kill Marron and me. Sadness when I thought that Marron was killed. Relief when she was only out cold. I remember…" His memories took over as he remembered the events. He wanted to hurt that hypocrite, to make him pay for crossing him. He wanted him dead. But he wasn't the only one that wanted that. His demon, which had been silent while he had fought, had been a little peeved that some loser in wings was trying to kill him when he was occupied in killing Goku. Then a mysterious voice in his heart had piped in declaring this man to be a threat of their essence and must be destroyed. They had their own agendas and ambitions, but they all agreed on one thing: Bartholomew must be dealt with.

"I wasn't the only one who felt that the messenger had to be stopped. My feelings were shared with my demon."

"So you have to be in agreement with your demon in order to be as strong as you were with that messenger. Great, it isn't enough you turn evil with that thing but to be as strong as you were, you have to fuse with that thing by having the same objective." Piccolo rubbed the temples of his forehead. He had no idea that Darien's power was that complicated.

Darien looked away and shuffled his feet. "Actually dad, it doesn't work that way, in order to utilize the power I used to vanquish Bartholomew, I have to have the other guy in my head to agree with me and my demon."

Piccolo stared at his son. "What was that?"

"I said in order for me to be that powerful, I have to have the other two agree with me."

"Other two?"

"Yes. My dark half, an unknown entity within me and myself. He's the one that argues with my dark half and supplies me with memories of Serena. It's kind of complicated to explain but the one who poses a stronger will is the one who becomes my dominant personality. You could say I'm the balance between them. My feelings play a part in this, whenever I feel murderous or violent, my demon emerges, but when I'm happy or calm, that mysterious soul in me comes to play. They…I mean, we never agree on anything. Only one time did we agree on something and that was when that messenger tried to kill Marron and me. We all decided spontaneously that something had to be done on him."

Piccolo frowned. 'Now there are two spirits inside his soul. This is not good. I'm going to have to skip physical training for now and work harder on his mental barriers. We can't take chances with that unknown one.'

"Piccolo?"

"Hmmmm?"

"Will I be as strong as Gohan?" He still felt like a shadow behind Piccolo's first student.

"Darien. If you're as strong as I think you are, then you might even surpass him." He then paused as a thought sank in. "Darien, I want you to promise something."

"What exactly?"

"I want you to make an effort to be nice to Gohan. He's my best friend and I don't want to see you two fighting. Understand?"

"You want me to be nice to that ….. Nerd?" He said, incredulously.

"I mean it, Darien! I want you to at least pretend to be nice to him or I'll make sure your training with me is hell! You got it! I will take extreme measures to make sure you do as I say." Piccolo said sternly.

Darien's eyes glowed red as the memory of Piccolo openly admitting that he chose Gohan over him resurfaced. "And what extreme measures would that be? Huh?" he retorted. His question was immediately answered by a hard slug on his left eye for his insolence. The force sent him crashing into several trees before he was smashed through a large boulder. He climbed out and rubbed his eye. He was positive that it was going to turn into a black eye.

"Does that answer your question, kid?" Piccolo growled.

"GRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!" Darien's eyes went dark red as he then pounced on a slightly miffed demon.

Four hours after that little exchange, Chichi waited for Darien to come for his lessons. She made sure she had all the books necessary: Advanced Calculus, Chemistry, World History and of course for culture, Art. Chichi was positive that art might exert Darien's creativity and make him more open rather then isolating himself. Darien's personality really bothered her. It just wasn't a child's behavior, even though he had been an adult at some point in his life, but still! She would not stop until Darien got the love and happiness that was denied in his dimension. Kami as her witness, she would. She had just started to set the table for Darien's study session when she saw two people hover over the cottage. It was Darien and Piccolo. She waited until they landed and was shocked to see them battered to a pulp.

"What the hell happened to you two?" she asked trying to restrain her anger as she walked up to them. She gasped in horror as she noticed Darien's black eye.

"Piccolo and I were having a frank exchange of ideas." Darien muttered as he and Piccolo glared at each other. Just when they were getting along, this happened.

Chichi spent an hour and a half yelling at Piccolo that slugging a child is not the way to show discipline and that he should be a role model rather then just his trainer.

"YOU ARE A FATHER NOW! START ACTING LIKE ONE!" she shouted as she hugged Darien tightly to her chest. Darien sweatdropped at the hug while Piccolo rolled his eyes. That Chichi apparently thinks she knows everything about children, especially half-demons.

"Sorry, I guess I'm not as experienced with children as you are? Maybe I should stop my training and learn from the master on how it's done." Piccolo said, sarcastically.

"Well, I'm glad we agree on something." She said, not at all hearing the sarcasm. She gave Darien another hug and led him inside. "Come on Darien, I made a big breakfast just for you." She said sweetly. She gave Piccolo one last glare before leaving. Piccolo grunted and marched off. As soon as he left, Chichi served him a big breakfast and told him she had fresh new clothes for him to wear. While she walked outside, Darien looked at his books. He wasn't that interested with math and chemistry. However, he was mildly intrigued by the history book. Humans would make fewer mistakes by stopping to repeat the same ones. Opening it, he started in the index section. In the "D" section, he found the name "Demons". Curious, he read through it.

_Of all the most dangerous and intriguing creatures in the world, demons continue to _

_elude us. They were originally angels. Creatures of purity, goodness, and strength. _

_supposingly casted out by Kami for feeling any emotion that include the_

_original sin. After becoming fallen angels, they became the anti-thesis of all they_

_once stood for. Instead of being defenders of mankind, they are now the worst_

_enemy to men and all their beliefs. Little is known about these dangerous creatures _

_of darkness, but they have been known to be led by the king of demons known _

_as Piccolo, who is the worst of his kind. It is a well-known fact that when one _

_ever faces a demon, they are not likely to survive the ordeal._

Darien read the page and was totally intrigued. He never knew that demons were once angels. He was suddenly attacked with a flashback. He was now in a bedroom in Kami's lookout tower. There was a bed at a far corner and someone was under the covers. Whoever it was, it was struggling on the bed and Darien heard moaning. He walked up to the bed, about to pull the covers when it fell off the bed. It was a young Namekian. He seemed to be in a lot of pain. Darien immediately bent over and tried to touch him when the Namekian's eyes shot open and he screamed in pain. All of a sudden, something so horrifying happened that even caused Darien to cry out. The Namekian was performing something similar to the split technique except it wasn't clean and quick. It was going very slowly. At first, all he could see was a clawed hand come out of the Namekian's back, then an arm and then, a shoulder. He could see a face outlining itself on his back. He was still writhing on the ground, pleading for the pain to end. By then, the other unknown Namekian was showing half his torso. They both began screaming as their bodies ripped in two.

Their minds ripped in two.

Their hearts ripped in two.

Their souls ripped in two.

Finally, they were completely separated. They looked exactly alike and had the same blue gi on. The one difference was what was on the center of the gi of the Namekian on his left. He had the sign of Kami and the one on the right had the sign of the devil. Both of them were very much disoriented. Darien stared as the knowledge of what this was had sunk in. This was what Kami had to do to separate himself from Daimio? How horrible! He felt the pain of the separation. Both of them were now incomplete without the other. He had ripped his soul in half to release his dark half and in the process let a great evil befall Earth: Himself. All because he thought he was the only one to succeed the predecessor of Kami. They looked like they were regaining their senses. They stared at each other for a long time, wondering why the other looked so familiar. Then realization hit them! Kami looked at Daimio abhorrently. Daimio stared at him with disgust as well, but there was something else: there was betrayal in his eyes. Like a brother abandoning his brother to a fate worse then death. Before Kami could say or do anything, Daimio ran out the room and jumped off the Lookout tower. Flying off to Earth, the feeling of loneliness, rejection, and betrayal still fresh in his heart. Kami chose to serve men. The very beings that feared and hated him. He could be a ruler over these creatures and keep men under his control. With men under control, there wouldn't be wars, deforestation and conflicts. What happened? Kami rejected him because of those thoughts. Now he was on his own again and he felt so empty without Kami and yet he hated him at the same time. Imagine the inner conflict, to love and hate your enemy at the same time. He then saw a village with happy care-free people. He decided to vent his anger and sadness out on them. If Kami chose to protect humans, then he chose to destroy them. With every gift Kami gives them, he punishes them one hundred times fold and such was the cycle of Earth's life from this day forward.

Chichi came back with a fresh batch of clothes in her hands knowing Darien would love to wear something other than that filthy, smelly gi he wore while training. She practically waltzed in when she saw Darien just sitting there with the open history book in his hands. Yet again, his eyes were glowing red. Chichi immediately dropped the garments and reached into her dress pocket. She had been prepared for something like this. She walked up to Darien, placing a picture of Sailor Moon in front of him. She had gotten that picture from Jedeite and Zoisite on the off chance Darien might lose it again. It was supposed to keep him calm. Darien, despite his cold aura, attentively took the picture out of her hand. He stared at it while Chichi took the book from him. She frowned when she saw the page he was on. She should have checked the book before giving it to him. She looked back at Darien. He seemed totally absorbed in the picture. What amazed her was the effect Serena had on him. Even a picture of her could make him stop dead in his tracks. Tapping him on the shoulder, she snapped him out of his peaceful state.

"Hey big guy, Are you all right?" she calmly brushed off his bangs.

Darien looked bewildered. He turned to Chichi. "I did it again, didn't I?" He asked gloomily.

She smiled and caressed his cheek. "Look at it this way; at least you didn't blow up my house again." She picked up his clothes. "Here, you change into these." She said as she handed him his clothes. Darien paled at the sight of them.

"Finish all your work and maybe I won't tell your father about that little change you had. Now then, are you ready for to learn how to draw?"

"Yeah." He said, still a little dizzy and somewhat disgusted by his new clothes.

"Good. Drawing will make you feel better. Just draw what's in your heart." Chichi suggested.

That's how it was for the first two weeks; Chichi was educating Darien in all things that would not corrupt him someday to be a mad scientist or a greedy politician. She was amazed that Darien was willing to learn so eagerly. Not even Gohan showed that much eagerness with his studies, he was always off fighting with his dad or hanging out with Piccolo. She nearly died with ecstasy when Darien told her he wanted to be a doctor or surgeon when he grew up. She bought every medical book known to man just for him. She could almost see him curing people of their diseases, provided that he controls his 'inner demons'. She had to admit, Darien was pretty smart for his age. She'd have to buy harder books for him.

'The guys open up hidden powers, I open up hidden geniuses.' She thought gaily. She was already grading some of his tests and decided to check on Darien's artwork. She took one look at them and decided to have an immediate parent/teacher conference.

Back near the waterfalls, Piccolo was meditating peacefully when he felt a small ki head his way. He spotted Goku's nimbus cloud and saw Chichi on it. It wasn't like her to visit so he knew something was up. She was holding a number of things in her arms. She landed down near him and said

"Piccolo, we need to talk."

"Why? And where's Darien?" He asked, suddenly on full-alert.

"I left him with Goten, Trunks and Marron. He's fine, but I want you to take a look at his paintings." She handed them to him. Piccolo looked at the first one: it was a painting of a dead, mangled Goku, decomposing in a lake.

"Chichi, we've been through this. Darien has been ordered to kill Goku, so this isn't surprising to me."

"I know, but that's not what's worrying me, look at the others." Piccolo looked at the others. Piccolo's eyes shot opened. All the pictures showed how Gohan was going to die in horrific deaths, some of them were not deaths but tortures and Gohan's anguish and fear was very vivid. He even had tears in some of them. They were not at all pretty and Piccolo couldn't believe anyone, even a demon, would think like this.

"Oh Dende! I can't believe this! Apparently, Darien didn't take my threat of making it harder for him very seriously. Just wait until he gets back, I got a masenko with his name on it." He growled.

"Piccolo, how does Darien feel about you and Gohan?" Chichi asked, breaking his rants.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Has it ever occurred to you that maybe, Darien is jealous of Gohan?"

"What? Jealous of Gohan? Why would he be?"

"Well, because Gohan was the first person you could ever get close to, he was your first student and he managed to destroy all the evil in your heart. And, despite my protests, he's your best friend. Darien is your son and he feels that he should have been all those things." Chichi finished as Piccolo looked deep in thought.

"Funny, I've always had the feeling that Darien didn't like me much."

"Darien is good at hiding his feelings, but I know that he loves you."

"Oh yeah? How?"

"When you're a mother of three kids, you tend to pick up some ways of knowing how they feel?"

"Three?"

"Well, if you count Goku." They both chuckled, but then they both turned serious a moment later.

"I'm not worried that Darien is going to kill Gohan", Chichi said. "I know Gohan can take care of himself. But I'm worried that Darien is not reassured that he is loved at all by you. That could be what's making him go demon. I've seen the way he glares at him. I even remember very well when he came to our house he also asked if Gohan was home. Why would he be interested if he was ordered to kill just Goku? After he started attacking us, I realized that he hates Gohan possibly even more then he hates Goku. He wants you to love him more then you love Gohan."

"But I do love…" But she cut him off.

"I know; I know you love him. We all know that, but he doesn't. And let's not forget where he's coming from. He came from a dimension where he never felt love for a long time. His life had been difficult in both past lives, and despite the fact that he doesn't remember much of it, his attitude says otherwise. He's been hurt, Piccolo. He needs someone to mend those hurts. He's going to need someone to be his mother."

"Let me guess: you want the job." He sneered.

She smiled and shook her head. "No. The best I could be is a teacher, a very good friend, or a cheerleader for his accomplishments. I could never be his mother, he wouldn't want that from me and I can obviously see you wouldn't want that either. I'm just saying that you have to play both roles now: The father and the mother. It's going to be hard for you to do that, I should know, I had to play both roles of mother and father to raise Gohan and Goten myself for seven years." She said.

Piccolo frowned. "You mean it's going to get harder from here?" He never thought that things would get any harder for him.

"Piccolo, being a parent was never easy to begin with," she pointed out as she took his clawed hand. "But if you ever need any help, you know that everybody's there for you, even me." Chichi concluded with a smile. Piccolo sighed. He had the feeling he was going to need Chichi's help to play 'mother' after all.

"Piccolo, there is one last picture I want you to take a look at."

"Is it violent?" he asked wearily.

"No, you might actually like this one."

Piccolo picked it up and took a glimpse at it, and then he smiled. It was a well drawn picture of Gaea in a long, short-sleeved, light-blue dress. Her spiky hair was in a single ponytail and her blue eyes sparkled with joy and warmth. Her smile seemed to be the main thing in the picture, for it was as dazzling as the sun. She was in a field of flowers that seemed to grow around her. Piccolo could have stared at that picture for hours if Chichi hadn't snapped him out of it.

"You're just like Darien; a picture of a girl can stop you dead in your tracks." She teased.

"This picture, I like." He said with a smile. Chichi, on the other hand, looked serious.

"She looks fourteen in this picture." She said.

"Or younger, I'm not sure." Piccolo said, still looking at the picture.

"Piccolo, how old was she when you met her?"

Piccolo blinked at the question. "My memories should show that she was that same age when I met her, why?"

"How old was she when she was pregnant with Darien?" she interrogated.

Piccolo's eyes grew to the size of saucers. What nerve! Why was Chichi asking him this? Then he looked at the picture of Gaea, how young she looked. Then he thought of his memories. She looked the same age. Suddenly, his eyes doubled its size and speech was lost to him. JUST HOW OLD WAS GAEA WHEN SHE WAS PREGNANT WITH HIS SON?

'Apparently, Gohan wasn't enough for him.' Chichi thought, twitching angrily. (She still thinks Piccolo did something to her sweet Gohan during that one-year of training for the Saiya-jins.) How could Piccolo do this? Granted; he was evil back then and he had no memory of it because of Gaea, But this was sinking to a new low for evil. This was exactly why she was glad she never had girls. She looked at Piccolo. He looked like he was in a deep shock and shaking his head as if the image might go away.

"Piccolo, you have to get your memories back and soon. And hopefully for your sake, she's a lot older then she looks." She simply said. With that said, she turned and climbed back on her nimbus, leaving Piccolo alone to collect his thoughts.

Back at the Son House, Darien sat meditating peacefully while wearing Gohan's old clothes. He was wearing black pants and a yellow robe with a red cap that had a four-star dragonball on it. Goten and Trunks had decided not to comment on it, not after that look he gave them. Trunks was relaxing on the grass and Goten was trying to teach Fluff how to dance on his hind legs by grabbing his front paws and kicking his legs to his side. Marron was doing the same thing as Darien. Marron had started the day by getting chased by dinosaurs, falling in the river (twice) and getting caught on high branches of trees. Naturally, when she was rescued from all this, she would tackle Darien down and glomp him like there was no tomorrow. Darien finally decided to suggest a game called 'Copy cat', where Marron was to copy everything he did. So there Marron sat peacefully, giving Darien the peace he deserved.

"Hey Darien!" Trunks interrupted.

Fate doesn't believe Darien deserves the peace, though.

"What?" he growled. Couldn't those three be quiet for a single micro-second?

"Can you make Dragonballs?"

This got Darien's interest. "What?" he asked.

"Well, Nameks could make Dragonballs, my mom told me. So, can you make them?" He looked at him curiously.

"No Fluff, like this." Goten said as he kicked his legs to the side. Apparently, no one ever told Goten that cats couldn't kick their legs to their sides. Fluff was sweatdropping all the while as he tried to follow Goten's instructions exactly.

Darien had never thought of the possibility. "Well, my dad has all the memories of his predecessors. They came from a tribe of Nameks called the 'Dragon clan'. The blueprint of making the dragonballs should be in my memories but it's still dormant." He explained.

Trunks nodded thoughtfully. Sometimes being the son of a genius helped a lot, especially when your friend had a somewhat higher vocabulary. "Okay, I guess you can tell me if you remember when I come back in three weeks."

Darien, who really wanted to go back to meditating, looked at Trunks with slight exasperation. "Where are you going?"

"Dad said training on Earth was kids' stuff, so Goten and I are going to outer space to train with him on dangerous climates and life-threatening planets." He replied. Goten smiled and nodded excitingly.

"Mister Vegeta said you can come too, but you have to get your dad's permission." Goten informed.

Darien thought this out. Vegeta did promise to train him also, and going to outer space sounded interesting enough.

"I'll think about it. Are there any moons on those planets?"

Trunks blinked. "Why do you ask?"

"I haven't been sleeping well without the moon shining over me. It always gives me a sense of peace and tranquility." Darien sighed as he had a dreamy look in his eyes.

"You're thinking about that moon girl, aren't you?" Trunks questioned with a mischievous look in his eyes.

Darien's face went red with anger and embarrassment. "Am not!"

"Yes you are, you're blushing." Goten said as he smiled. Fluff, sensing impending doom, decided to make himself scarce and scampered off.

Darien glared at them. "You two better be quiet."

Goten and Trunks grabbed each other's hands and started dancing in circles while singing, "Darien and Moon girl, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

Darien's eyes glowed red as an evil smile played on his lips.

"First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes a baby in a baby carriaAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH !!!!!" The song was cut short as they were suddenly being chased by a ki-ball the size of Vegeta's ego. Darien snickered maliciously. He was just about to go back to meditate when something was pulling his robe. He turned around to see Marron hopping on both feet and had a desperate look in her teary eyes.

"What is it, Munchkin?" He asked, trying to look intimidating. Marron then said something so scary that Darien's demon decided to make a break for it in the darkest part of his mind.

"Darien, I have to go to the bathroom."

In Elysian Fields………………..

The four guards were trying to wonder what to do now when a fluffy white kitten scampered in. It was none other then Fluff, Darien's white kitten.

"Fluff! What in goddess are you doing in here?" Jedeite inquired as he picked up the kitten.

"I think the real question is how he got here." Zoisite said, eyeing the kitten, suspiciously.

"You could say you left the front door open." Fluff replied in a soft melodic voice.

Now, the guards were used to talking cats, they had, after all, met the moon cats Luna and Artemis. But let's just say this was the element of surprise that got them.

"FLUFF! You can talk!" Jedeite exclaimed as he jumped five feet in the air.

"That's stating the obvious. Jeez, Jedeite! How Rei puts up with you is still considered a scientific phenomenon." Zoisite snapped.

"YOU WANNA TAKE THIS OUTSIDE, FEMME-BOY?!" Jedeite shouted as he rolled up his sleeves.

"WHO'S A FEMME-BOY, BAKAYARO?!"

"As much as I don't want to get involved in this interesting showdown, there seems to be more pressing matters at hand." Machalite intervened as he moved between them.

Fire and ice should never be put in the same room together.

"Now then, who are you?" Machalite demanded as he glared at the adorable kitten.

The kitten in question was at the moment licking it's paw in a cute manner, causing Zoisite to grab it and hug it tightly. The three remaining guard's sweatdropped.

"I'm sorry, but it looked so cute doing that." He explained.

"I wonder how Ami puts up with you." Jedeite muttered. Zoisite gave him a glare of promised suffering.

"Getting back to the subject at hand." Nephlite snarled, who up until now, had only been the observer.

"Oh, well, allow me to personally introduce myself." With that said, the kitten disappeared in a wave of Cheryl blossoms. Zoisite suddenly fell on the floor as he had to support a six-foot lithe young man in his arms. He had green eyes that matched his kitten eyes, long white hair that gave off a bluish glow, his skin color was light blue and he wore a dark blue one piece suit that had light green vines in a certain pattern. The ethereal beauty stood up and gave a smile.

"You all know me as Fiore. I am the newly appointed royal advisor to Prince Endymion."

"Fiore? But I thought you died when you gave your life force to save Sailor Moon after her crystal broke." Zoisite said as he was helped up by Machalite.

"I was, but Queen Gaea saved me. She said if I were to ever redeem myself for my attack on Earth with the Kisenian flower, it was by being Darien's guardian." He replied as he scratched the back of his head.

"I see, so you really are here to help us." Nephlite said as he leaned on a wall.

"It's just as good, Darien needs some familiar faces. It'll make him feel more comfortable with all that is happening." Machalite believed with a faint smile.

Fiore's face turned serious. "Darien is about to leave for space. You know what that means?"

"WHAT?" The guards yelled.

"But his terran powers have never worked in space before; he'll be defenseless to fight the 'light' should they decide to attack him. He can't go!" Zoisite explained.

"I agree; his powers have never been of good use outside of Earth, even in the Silver Millennium, it is fool-hardy to even try it." Nephlite spoke.

"The worse the little squirt could do off the planet is throw roses and that is normally for defenses. If he manages to hurt them, it'll be if he catches them off guard." Jedeite presumed.

"Let him go." Machalite said.

All eyes were on their leader. They couldn't have heard that right!

"Umm, gracious leader, I'm not sure if you're listening to us: His terran powers will be non-existent. He'll be a sitting duck for his enemies." Jedeite pointed out, emphasizing on each word.

"Yes, I know he'll be defenseless against his enemies, but may I remind you all that Darien is being tested in his abilities to survive as well as his ability to be king. Also, that this is why you two are here. Are you not the proud terran knights of Earth?" He retorted as he looked at Zoisite and Jedeite.

Jedeite and Zoisite looked at each other apprehensively. Darien wasn't going to be much help with them if the 'light' decides to fight them. And how would this look in front of the Terran Council if they see Darien couldn't fight them off now, especially when their Queen had just vouched for him?

"By the way, the Queen requests that one of you should bring Lord Piccolo here to her. She wishes an audience with him." Machalite stated. "I believe she is ready to face him now."

"But…" Jedeite and Zoisite started.

"No buts. Go and bring him here, you may not know this but three weeks have passed on Earth. You must return."

Jedeite's eyes widened. Three weeks? They have been gone for three weeks? How could time pass so quickly? Then he remembered that time had no meaning in the time gate and Elysian Fields. Zoisite looked worried.

"Wait, but that would mean that the 'light' could have attacked him all that time."

"I have been watching him. Darien has not been attacked at all by the 'light' for the last three weeks." Fiore piped.

"What? Have they given up?" Zoisite asked, shocked with this revelation.

"The 'light' do not seem the type to give up so easily. They're up to something." Nephlite sneered.

"Nephlite, my main man, for once we are thinking on the same line. You're right; the 'light' must be planning something big. They probably realized that with us and the Z-fighters protecting him, they have to change tactics." Jedeite pondered as he placed his hand on his chin and closed his eyes.

Zoisite nodded. "No doubt they are bringing out the big guns. We best keep an eye on our prince."

Zoisite and Jedeite disappeared; Fiore took one last glance at the remaining two Generals and decided his job was needed on Earth. He shrunk back to Fluff and disappeared as well. Machalite returned to watching the time gate while Nephlite still pondered on what he heard.

"Forgive me for asking, but you do realize Darien cannot fight without the power of Earth beneath his feet. Why are you letting him leave to go to outer space? He will be easy target, there." Nephlite asked as he studied his leader.

Machalite smirked. "Nephlite my old friend, even you should remember that Darien doesn't get his powers from just Earth."

Nephlite raised an eyebrow. "Pardon me?"

"Have you already forgotten that Darien is the future ruler of Earth AND the Heavens?"

Mountains were crumbling and forests were being set aflame as two powerful individuals were duking it out. Piccolo and Darien had long since discarded their weights and were using whatever necessary to finish each other off.

"EARTH BOMB, EXPLODE!" A small ball of energy was heading toward Piccolo. Of course, no attack worked twice on Piccolo, who opened his mouth and shot a wave of energy at it, canceling it.

"All right then, try this on for size! SPECIAL BEAM CANNON!"

This time, instead of sparks, the real power of the special beam came out of his fingers. It wasn't yellow and purple like Piccolo's; instead it was gold and black. Piccolo dodged it just in time to get hit by Darien's punch. He switched to defense as Darien kept trying to hit him in the spots where Piccolo once told him were vulnerable to all fighters. Piccolo suddenly high-kicked him in the air. Ignoring the blood coming out of his teeth, Darien focused on shooting multiple ki-balls at Piccolo. It was in that time that a memory decided to sneak up on him.

This time he found himself in a chapel, surrounded by a number of people. Judging from the decorations, somebody was getting married. He spotted a man in a black tuxedo that looked strangely familiar to him. He realized that it was him, only older.

He also realized that he looked good when he was older.

Numerous gasps caught his attention as he turned around to see what got everyone's attention. He felt his breath catch his throat when he saw who it was.

It was Serena, in a simple satin wedding dress, though she looked more beautiful then ever, regardless. In her hands was a bouquet of wildflowers as well as red roses. Behind her were four girls he didn't recognize, but thought he had met before. She walked right through Darien and stood by next to his older self. The scene suddenly switched and he found himself seeing Serena, in her moon dress, being destroyed before his very eyes.

"NO! SERENA!" He screamed along with a second voice. He turned to see his older self looking just as horrified. Then a booming voice interrupted them.

"STAY AWAY FROM SERENA OR SHE WILL DIE!"

"What the hell are you talking about? Who are…………….." Darien was interrupted again as the scene switches. This time he was in a large apartment. He was greeted with his older self this time wearing civilian cloths. Near him, he saw Serena. He sighed in relief, but that disappeared when he saw her in tears. His anger knew no bounds when he saw that. Who would make his angel cry? When he got his hands on that soon-to-be-corpse…………..

"Why? Why are you saying this?" She begged to know.

"Why? Why? I'll tell you why? You are a selfish immature little airhead. I don't know what we had in the past, but it's over. I will not let my past life determine the future now. How could you even think I could love you? You are nothing like Serenity. You're not elegant, talented, graceful and don't even get me started with your grades." His older self spat.

Darien stared at him. Was that really him? There was no way that monster before him could be him. How did he become so horrible? Didn't that idiot realize what he was doing by saying those words to someone as sensitive and sweet as Serena?

'I've got to do this to protect her. I won't let you get hurt Serena.' His older self thought.

What? He was destroying Serena to prevent her from getting hurt? Did that even make sense? Before he came to his father's dimension, had he been this stupid?

Serena burst into tears and ran out the door. Hi older self was tempted to go after her but, somehow through sheer will, stopped himself. He burst into tears himself.

'Forgive me, Serena." He sobbed.

"IDIOT! GO AFTER HER!" Darien shouted. "If you won't, I will." He growled at himself as he ran out the door.

Only to find himself back in the air. He spotted Piccolo, who made no move to attack. Darien wondered why Piccolo stopped firing when he noticed dozens of ki-balls frozen all around him. Piccolo waved his hand and all the balls smashed right into Darien.

Elysian Fields…..

Gaea watched as the souls of children were playing in the fields from her garden. As ruler and guardian of the heavens, it was her duty to make sure that everyone's needs were met and long-lost loves and family members were reunited.

It was a hard job but somebody had to do it.

Also, she needed something to do before she was reunited by her own love. She felt very insecure at the moment, something she normally didn't feel. She was about to meet Piccolo again, who no doubt had some questions for her to answer. There was also the possibility that he may not have the same feelings for her anymore.

She sighed. "What am I doing? Why am I even bothering to meet him? He's probably better off without me."

"Because you love him." a voice behind her broke her chain of thoughts.

"Beryl, how nice of you to join me." Gaea smiled.

Beryl walked up and stopped in front of her queen. "I know you are nervous," she sympathized. "But you must confront him now. The spell you placed in him is already deteriorating, especially by Jedeite's interference. He'll want answers and you are the one to give it to him."

"I know," she agreed. "But this will be the hardest thing I have ever done, and I've been through many trials."

Beryl shrugged. "Well, it's probably going to be just as difficult for him, and he's been through similar trials." Beryl turned to leave, but not before telling her one more thing.

"Just remember, under no circumstances do you tell Piccolo why we are doing this." With that, she disappeared, leaving Gaea alone.

Elysian palace….

Beryl continued walking when she heard arguing in the far side. Following it, she spotted Jedeite and Zoisite yelling as usual.

"I can't believe you had the nerve to call me that! And in front of Machalite, no less!" Zoisite glared. The room temperature dropped several degrees and a fog was surrounding him.

"If you get a haircut and do something about that personality of yours, I wouldn't say things like that."

"THIS IS WHY REI SETS YOU ON FIRE MOST OF THE TIME, YOU'RE SUCH A CREEP!"

"AND YOU'RE SUCH AN UPTIGHT BASTARD!" Jedeite yelled, losing most of his temper. One can just see fire literally shoot out his eyes and mouth; the floor beneath him was also melting.

"Tell me why you two are still here." Beryl demanded through clenched teeth. Now she remembered where those wrinkles came from when she had been evil.

"We were just leaving." Zoisite grudgingly muttered.

Jedeite glared at him and turned his gaze to Beryl. "Is her majesty ready?"

"She seems to be having some second thoughts about all this. One of you should talk to her."

"I'll do it." Zoisite answered as he coldly walked away from Jedeite.

"Try not to get in anymore hot water then necessary. Machalite is angry enough at those comments you've been making about him and Zoisite." Beryl advised coldly.

"He heard those comments?" Jedeite suddenly looked worried.

"We all have to watch you in order to see if the prince is progressing."

"…………."

"…………."

"Did I say something about you that deserves the cold treatment?"

"Do the words 'evil bitch' ring a bell?"

In the forest, Darien sat down, meditating from today's workout. 'Damn that demon! He has some nerve pulling that fast one on me. My whole body still smarts!' he thought. How could he have forgotten about the scatter shot? He had been so distracted by his weird visions lately that he never once noticed that his father was purposely missing. He paid for his ignorance by having all the blasts slam into him. While tending his wounds, Piccolo had scolded him for not paying attention to his surroundings; otherwise he would have realized it was a trap. Darien decided to retort that by slugging him hard on the nose and flying off. He lowered his head. He was going to get it the moment he showed his face to Piccolo, who didn't take crap like this laying down. And knowing Piccolo, the punishment was going to be painful. Darien relaxed his thoughts and tried to levitate; a blue aura surrounding his body. Suddenly, he felt a kick from behind. It wasn't full-forced, but it still hurt.

"What the hell? Who did that?" he demanded the moment he got up.

"Really, Prince Darien, you left your back completely vulnerable to an attack." said an arrogant voice.

Darien looked up and saw Vegeta, right in front of him.

"Prince Vegeta? What are you doing here? And what was that for?" he demanded.

"As royalty myself, I should see how other blue bloods are doing. And also, I wanted to see if you were training well. You've grown strong, but you still lack focus. You should have, at least, felt me coming." Vegeta pointed out.

"Sorry, Prince. I was distracted by this morning." He said sheepishly.

"Oh really? Care to tell me about it? Vegeta asked, slightly interested.

Darien told him every detail as to what happened. Vegeta listened with a thoughtful look in his eyes.

"Prince Darien, you are lucky that the Namek is your father to let you run off after what you did. If you were my son and you hit me like that, I would have made you regret that you had been born." Vegeta said with a touch of sincerity.

"I know. It was stupid to do that. He was just being his usual drill-sergeant self. I shouldn't have hit him like that. But I had been so annoyed by my visions lately that I guess I took it out on him." Darien explained.

"That is still inexcusable. I hope you plan on apologizing to him. I was looking forward to have you come with me for space travel." Vegeta pointed out.

"Don't worry. I plan on apologizing to him, when he cools off." Darien said with a small smile.

"Good. Now let's see how strong you are now. I won't go easy on you like I did last time, so prepare yourself, Prince." Vegeta cautioned as he got into a stance.

Darien smirked and powered up. They both disappeared and started to beat each other up. Darien placed two index fingers on his forehead and shouted "SPECIAL BEAM CANNON!" and aimed it at Vegeta, who barely dodged it. He had a small cut on his left shoulder and the strap of his blue tank-top was gone. He smirked and turned Super Saiya-jin. He flew straight at him and gave him an upper-cut to his chin and rammed his knee in Darien's stomach. While Darien doubled over, he flew above him and shouted "FINAL FLASH!" Darien was smashed into the Earth. Vegeta landed down and stared at the crater, shaking his head in disappointment.

"Really Prince Darien, is that the best you can do?" Vegeta sneered. "I think you were a better challenge as a demon." He landed down to the spot to where Darien crashed.

Except Darien was not there, anymore.

Frowning, he tried locking on his ki. Darien's ki was everywhere! He didn't know where to look. 'Of course,' Vegeta thought. 'He is Earth incarnated, so his ki matches it. This is going to be harder then I thought.' Rather then use his senses; he decided to use his eyes to look for anything out of the ordinary.

Nothing…….. not a trace of the boy.

It was like he disappeared out of thin air. He looked at the hole where Darien landed. Where could he have gone? Suddenly, he was grabbed by his feet by a pair of tree roots.

"What?!!" Vegeta shouted as he tried to reach for his feet. But then his hands were captured by two vines and he was tied up. Darien appeared in front of him in his 'Prince' form, smirking.

"Really Prince Vegeta, is that all you got? I think you were a better challenge as an ascended Super Saiya-jin." Darien taunted maliciously.

Vegeta narrowed his eyes and broke through the vines and tree roots. He then ascended to the next level. "You asked for it, boy?" Vegeta shouted.

"Boy? What happened to 'Prince'?" Darien asked as he took his stance.

"You are going to have to earn that title again." Vegeta smirked. He powered up and started to shoot multiple ki-balls at him. Darien dodged as many as he could and did a somersault in the air. As he did that, he cupped his hands together and Cheryl blossoms surrounded his body. "EARTH BLOSSOMS, ATTACK!" he threw his hands at the direction of Vegeta. Now it was Vegeta's turn to start dodging. Vegeta had to admit Darien was good. He was intelligent and skilled, but he lacked the battle-lust that all warriors must have, the need to fight and win and most of all, sheer power. Those were the very things Darien lacked. And that was why Darien was going to lose to this spar.

"GAILIC GUN!!!" Vegeta shouted as he threw an attack similar to the Kamehameha wave. The attack threw Prince Darien backwards to a large oak tree. Before he could get up, Darien was suddenly lifted off the ground by his legs and swung to Yunzibit Heights Mountains. One of the large mountains he crashed into was now a rock collection. Darien pulled his head out of one of the many large rocks that had landed on his head and glared at Vegeta, who was smirking.

"Not bad for someone who just started training. Are you sure you don't have Saiya-jin blood in you?" Vegeta asked.

"Sorry, I don't have a tail." Darien answered back as his 'Prince' form was changed back into his purple gi.

"Impressive. But you still have a long way to go. So, have you decided if you're coming or not?"

"Well, I did once ask you if you could also train me, so why not? Besides, I've always wanted to go to outer space."

Vegeta smirked and leaned on a tree while Darien was catching his breath. Darien looked up at him. "Vegeta, I don't think I want to be king." He confessed.

Vegeta nearly fell flat on his face. A prince not wanting to be king? Unheard of! "Are you insane? How could you think of something like that?" Vegeta demanded.

"It's just that I don't think I'm cut out for ruling people with my demon in me. I am untrustworthy to demons and I am untrustworthy to humans. I have no life among either society."

Vegeta stared at him, almost sympathetically.

"And also lately, I've begun to feel contempt for humans. They are selfish, unreliable and weak. Unworthy to be protected by me." Darien added.

"It's true they are selfish, and I am in full agreement on them being totally weak. They are children who still need taken care of, and we are their mommies. But I wouldn't say they are unreliable. They've had their moments, especially against Buu. And besides, what race is perfect; except for the Saiya-jin race, of course." Vegeta boasted.

Darien sighed. "But Vegeta, how do I know I'm going to make a good king?"

"You don't. You just have to rule with the best of your abilities. I, myself, would often question whether I would make a wonderful king on my planet, I would always wonder whether I shall be compared to my father or not. Of course that will never occur since my planet and people are gone." He said with a touch of anger at the thought.

"Sorry for reminding you." And Darien was indeed sorry. Vegeta waved it off.

"What I am trying to say is that you deserve more then anyone to be king, you and I have what it takes for it. It's in our blood."

"Kingship should be based on strength and power; not blood and birthright." Darien muttered but Vegeta heard him.

"True. But who says you do not have any of these things. You've just proven to your guards that you have power and intellect. You've also proven it to me by actually lasting longer then five minutes in a spar with the Prince of all Saiya-jins. I don't care what anyone says: That's power."

Darien smiled at that. He laid on the grass next to the tree that Vegeta was leaning on and looked at the sky. The sky was empty for a while with nothing but darkness. He then spotted two stars in the sky. They were incredibly bright.

"Vegeta, look."

Vegeta looked up and shrugged, not at all interested. "It's just a couple of stars about to go nova. So what?"

"You once told me that we were kindred spirits. Well, I believe it. Look, we're like these two stars. Two lonely stars, at our brightest, side by side. Outshining every other star in the universe. We live bright, we die bright."

Vegeta had a half smile on his face. "Poetic today, aren't we?"

"I want to see the universe. I'm going to that space travel if it's the last thing I do." Darien said enthusiastically. Talking to Vegeta had made him feel much better.

"Then I suggest you get home and apologize to the Namek. Heh, heh, heh, I wonder whether his nose has stopped bleeding." He snickered.

Darien waved goodbye to his friend before taking off. Vegeta chuckled lightly to himself and started to head back at Capsule corp.

'Darien will make one hell of a king some day.' He thought.

Darien flew back to his father, who was meditating and purposely ignoring him. Piccolo was not going to let Darien slide out of this that easily.

"Umm, Hi dad. I'm sorry for that little hit-and-run. I was just a little annoyed. It won't happen again." He smiled sheepishly.

Piccolo smirked, his eyes still closed. "Nice try, but you are not going to that little outer space adventure with Vegeta."

"WHAT! How did you know?" he asked, his face filled with shock.

"Bulma told me. She said that Trunks told her you seemed excited to go. Heh, heh. Sorry kid, but you are so grounded." He seemed very triumphant about this.

"BUT THAT'S NOT FAIR!" he shouted.

Piccolo chuckled derisively. "Nor is hitting the person that is trying to help you, especially your father," Piccolo then looked serious. "We're trying to help you, Darien. But you refuse to trust any of us in any way. How can I let you go to outer space, a whole different frontier, if you won't even trust the people of your own planet?"

"Piccolo's right, Darien. You have some serious trust issues. Always have, anyway" Darien and Piccolo looked up and spotted Jedeite standing upside down on a tree branch with his arms crossed.

"Who asked you?" Darien growled.

Jedeite, knowing he caught them in a bad time, merely grinned. "But seriously, Pic-chan, I think you should let Darien go to that outer space trip."

"As he said, who asked you?" Piccolo growled as well.

"No one has to ask me." Jedeite flew down to Darien's side and grabbed his chin. "Look at that adorable face. How can you say no to that?" Jedeite gave him a cute look.

"Easy, watch." Piccolo gave both of them an all-out war glare and said "No way in all seven hells." He smirked at their crestfallen expressions. He, however, gave a worried look when Jedeite suddenly gave a very cat-like smile and became very fascinated with his gloves again.

"Very well, But you said that you wanted to have your memories back and Gaea said she, personally, was going to do it. However, since you'll be too busy babysitting your son, then I'll just reschedule it to, oh say, next month." He was immediately smashed to the ground by both Piccolo and Darien.

"Take me to her! And this better not be a trick." Piccolo barked, pulling Jedeite's hair. Despite the pain of having his hair pulled, Jedeite was still grinning.

"My mom is here?! You have to take me to her! I want to see her!" Darien shouted as he practically strangled Jedeite.

Jedeite's amused smile disappeared as he looked at Darien.

"Sorry little buddy, but this is strictly a parents only meeting." Jedeite replied sadly.

"Oh, I see." Darien nodded. Piccolo and Jedeite could see a heart-broken look in his eyes.

'So that's why Zoisite insisted I go to tell them the news.' Jedeite thought miserably.

Piccolo wondered where Darien inherited that look. It was almost enough to break through his stoic expression.

"Jedeite, how long will I be gone?" Piccolo asked, prying his eyes away from Darien's face.

"Seven earth days, though time has no meaning in Heaven so this is just a guess." Jedeite said.

"In that case, Darien, I guess you can go with Vegeta. But you better do something about your attitude when I come back."

"REALLY!" Darien broke into a smile. Piccolo nodded curtly.

"Beat it before I change my mind."

Darien ran off to tell Vegeta the news. Jedeite smirked as Piccolo turned to look at him.

"Now take me to Gaea." He demanded.

Jedeite bowed mockingly. "With pleasure, your majesty." He placed his hand on Piccolo and they both disappeared.

Limbo………

"Milady, I have found them. They were in the south side of this universe the whole time."

The queen leaned away from the crystal ball. "Just in time, the atrocity is about to leave his planet."

Michael's eyes widened and broke into a child-like smile. "You're kidding! But Earth is where he gets most of his powers from; our weakest members can destroy him now."

The Queen frowned. "You could not destroy him even before he discovered his terren powers, what makes you think he'll be so easy for you this time?" she pointed out.

Michael winced.

"And besides, he'll be going with Vegeta. You remember Vegeta, right?"

Michael, despite his extremely high ethics, couldn't help but glower in response of that name. Oh yeah, he and Vegeta go way back.

"Now then, please send in the Star twins. I need to instruct them on what to do." She requested, cheerfully.

"ARISE STAR TWINS MORPHEUS AND MNEMOSYNE! I SUMMON THEE!"

A purple light appeared as well as a bright pink light. The purple light showed an average height man with long purple hair with silver streaks and green eyes that had a dreamy glazed look in them. He was well-muscled and was wearing a long lavender robe that matched his light purple wings. The pink light subsided revealing a beautiful, shorter young woman. She had long forest green hair and golden eyes with a solemn face. Her long, silk, sleeveless green dress was a little wide to the sides, making it hard to discover what kind of body she had, but it was possibly gangly. Her wings were white with a soft touch of pink on it. Unlike her brother's dreamy expression, she had an intent look in her eye; thus making her the domineering one.

They both kneeled. "What is thy desire, milady?" They both posed in unison.

She pointed at the crystal ball which showed an enthusiastic Darien flying towards Capsule corp.

"Make sure he doesn't come back from his trip. Morpheus, use your powers of dreams to attack him. Mnemosyne, use your gift of memories to attack his mental state. Even if you have to warp them a little."

Both messengers smiled and disappeared.

In the gates of heaven, the two unlikely partners appeared at the front of it before Jedeite turned to a calm and yet nervous Namek.

"Well, here we are." Jedeite said, waving his hands around the area. He was about to leave when he was grabbed from behind by Piccolo.

"Not so fast, my slippery little friend. I want to have a few words with you."

Jedeite turned to look at Piccolo. "I told you, what ever meeting I had is confidential. I can't say anymore."

An insane grin was planted on Piccolo's face. "I wasn't thinking about that. I was thinking about that little 'marriage comment' you made back in Gohan's wedding. Chichi had me on a lie detector to find out exactly what I did to him during his training. Not a pleasant way to spend an afternoon, I gotta tell you. And then there was the fact that Gohan had to explain to Videl and the entire school that we had nothing between us." He had Jedeite by his front of his shirt and was pulling back his fist.

'Damn it! First Zoisite, then Beryl, now him! Am I ever in hot water!' Jedeite thought. "I see, so this is just for revenge, huh?" He was hoping it was a no and that he and Piccolo would be the best of friends.

That was wishful thinking, of course.

POW!

Jedeite suddenly wondered how he was sent crashing to a mountain when the nearest one from here was 5,983,072 kilometers away. Just as he was about to regain feeling on his face, a giant ki-ball the size of said mountain slammed into him. Piccolo chuckled with satisfaction as he walked to the golden gates.

He had almost forgotten how satisfying it was when a grudge was sated.

Piccolo looked around where Jedeite had taken him. 'So this is Elysian fields. It doesn't exactly fit my description of paradise, but then again, I am a demon.' The place was filled with flowers, hundreds of different species. The sky had an eye-catching sunset and in front of him was a stunning palace. He walked up slowly to the river surrounding the palace. There were no fishes in it, it was so clear that he could see every detail of it, he tasted it. It was the purest water he had ever tasted. Exploring around the area, he spotted another garden. This one had statues all over it. Some of them were warrior women, others of sprites and mystic animals; there were a lot of them on well-known humans like Alexander the Great, King Author, Cleopatra, Caesar and Joan of Arc. Then, in the center of the garden was a beautiful white marbled statue of a woman on a high pedestal. She was incredibly tall, almost seven feet tall; she was completely naked with a very mature body. Her hair was done in two cone-shaped pigtails. She had large eagle wings on her back that had a wingspan of six feet. She had a beautiful porcelain face with an innocent look on her face but the eyes of an age-old warrior. There was one description for her.

"Beautiful." He breathed. But he felt that the word did her no justice.

"Yes, she was." A voice from behind him said. Piccolo's eyes widened. That voice! He knew it anywhere!

"She was the original Gaea. The Earth goddess: wife of Ouranos, the elder god of the heavens; and mother of the Titans, as well as grandmother of the gods and goddesses. I am the direct descendent of Ouranos and Gaea, which makes me the Queen of the Heavens and Earth as well as its protector."

Piccolo continued to have his back on her. He did not want to see her just yet. This was the girl he had been dreaming about. This was the very girl he had loved enough to have a son with. What should he say or do?

"You have not changed, Piccolo. You never were one to make the first move and you continue to pretend that nothing interests you. And yet, you have changed. You have grown up, you are calm and composed. Quite unlike the arrogant hot-tempered young demon I knew back then. You do not even look evil, your face has softened, and you are no longer cold and ruthless. All evil has disappeared from you." She stated.

Again, Piccolo remained quiet and had his back toward her. He stood as still as the statue in front of him until he felt Gaea's arms wrap around his right arm. He nearly gasped at the touch. She felt so warm despite the fact that she was dead. Finally, he looked down to see a small, smiling teenager in a Sailor fuku. Gaea still remained that same teenager that he had met in his dreams: Forever young, forever beautiful.

"Gaea." He finally spoke, his eyes slowly filled with tears that would, thankfully, not fall down.

"Hello Piccolo, I see you have returned to me." She said with a beautiful smile.

Hooray! They finally meet again. But is there still love in their hearts?

What do the Lunarians have to do with the 'light' and why?

What has gotten into Jedeite and Zoisite?

Will these new messengers succeed where others have failed?

And will Darien finally realize that he is, after all, loved in this world?

Find out on the next all-new chapter of "His Path".

Well, this is getting exciting! Especially with everyone helping Darien. On the next chapter; Darien, Trunks, and Goten are off on a space adventure with Vegeta, not at all knowing that the 'light' is close behind. Meanwhile, Piccolo is given more memories of his encounters with Gaea. Blast from the past! Serenity is in it! WHAT?!? The 'light' were originally made from the Silver crystal!

Listen up! I'm about to do the next following chapters on Piccolo's memories, as you have already know. This is very important because not only will you understand where the 'light' came from and why they were banished, but you get to also find out how Darien was conceived. After all, this isn't just a Darien centered fic; Piccolo is also the star of the show, too. Don't worry; you will still see Darien in the chapters as well. This story is going to be long, so while I know the beginning, middle and end, I have no idea on the EXACT length of it.

The human soul is as powerful as it is fragile, and it will play an important part in this story. Just remember, what makes us human is our soul, to destroy it would make us no longer human.

Alex Damioh: Welcome! Today's guest is…Goten!

Goten: Hi everybody.

Alex Damioh: So Goten, what will happen to our heroes?

Goten: I'm not allowed to say.

Alex Damioh: Why? Will there be death?

Goten: Daimio will get really angry.

Alex Damioh: How did that happen?

Goten: 'Cause he'll be interviewed too. Oh no! I said too much!

Alex Damioh: Heh heh. How's that brother of yours doing with Darien?

Goten: Well, they might be nice to each other at some point. My head hurts.

Alex Damioh: Is Darien behaving by the way?

Goten: gives a sour face

Alex Damioh: Oh… Will something happen?

Goten: Darien might go demon and chase me.

Alex Damioh: Now who would want to chase a sweet kid like you? gives a cookie Thanks for joining us, Goten. It sure is hard to get information out of you though.

Goten: munches See you next time!


	13. Chapter 13: Can you feel the love? Yeah

Happy New Year! Hi, I'm glad to be back. Listen, I'll be revising many of my chapters to make them better. I reread them with the help of the reviewer and realised they could be better. So, in addition to updates, I'll be fixing the chapters. Expect some changes being seen.

**Disclaimer:**

Launch: The author of this story does not own any characters from DBZ or Sailor Moon. Is that all?

Alex Damioh: No.

Launch: Oh, yeah. They are owned by Akira Toriyama and Toei Animation. Enjoy!

Alex Great. Now that you're done, we could------

Launch: Achoo! (In comes blonde Launch.) We could try making loot off of this story. Anyone who forgets to review will have the barrel of my gun up their ass! I'll start with you.

Alex Damioh: Aaaaagh!

Chapter thirteen: Can You Feel the Love? (Yeah, I thought so.)

Piccolo looked down at the young teenage warrior that was, at the moment, hugging his arm. No one, save Gohan, had ever dared to touch him in such a manner and here was this wisp of a girl, doing just that. He considered shoving her off, but his pride was having a losing battle at what his heart was telling him. Maybe he was dreaming this time. Well, there was only one way to find out.

"Ouch! This is how you greet me? By pinching me!" She exclaimed as she rubbed her bruised left shoulder.

Piccolo blinked. While he wasn't sure if he got what he was doing right, she did feel pretty solid.

"This isn't a dream? Am I really seeing you this time?"

"If this was a dream, it is a pleasant one, is it not?" She asked as she forgot the pinch already.

"I guess..."

She placed her hands on her hips and pretended to look affronted. "You guess?"

He rolled his eyes. "Okay, it is."

"That's better." She stated with a nod. "Now if you would just follow me, we can go see what could be done for you and our son."

_'Our son? That does have a nice ring to it.' _Piccolo thought as Gaea dragged him away from the gardens. He had seen Elysian Fields before, but he had never seen this part of it. Probably because it had nothing to do with fighting. This place was reserved for deserving and peaceful souls. But what caught his attention was the large golden palace that was in front of him.

"What's this place?" He asked, looking away from its brilliance.

"This is my palace. I normally go there to speak with my council or to help out the lost souls that seek their loved ones. Beautiful, isn't it?" Gaea giggled as she led Piccolo to her private palace. Piccolo was one of the strongest men in the universe, and yet he was making no effort to stop her from dragging him to her throne room. He seemed to be in a state of shock. However, he was taking all this very well. Without so much of an 'If you please?' Gaea shoved him hard on a purple velvet couch and sat on his lap. Piccolo was now eyeing her, bug-eyed, clearly not sure what to do now. It was not as if he was in any danger and this wasn't unpleasant at all. Gaea, on the other hand, knew exactly what to do. She leaned forward to kiss him when she suddenly felt him stiffen and stop her from reaching for his lips.

Gaea felt hurt when Piccolo stopped her from kissing her. He wasn't looking at her, but at the closed door in front of her. Gaea's hurt then turned into indignant rage when she felt several power levels behind the door. '_It's really hard to find good help these days.'_

"Machalite, Nephlite! Get back to your posts! Jedeite, Zoisite! Get back to my son! I wish to have my privacy with Piccolo and I do not want eavesdroppers." She commanded with all the royalty of a queen. The sounds of several footsteps running and stumbling away could be heard, but she frowned when she still felt a strong energy behind the door.

"That goes double for you, Lady Beryl." Gaea added with an edge.

The sounds of footsteps walking away confirmed her that she was alone again. Smirking, Gaea leaned towards Piccolo again to try to kiss him, only to feel him tense up again. Narrowing her eyes, she turned to see if the others were still here. They weren't.

Then what could be...

She looked down to see Piccolo glaring at her.

"Why?"

"W-w-what? Why what?"

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Gaea sighed. "Should have seen this coming."

"Why didn't you tell me I had a son? Why did you block my memories? Did you really think you could have hidden this forever? And why did you send him here, with no memory of anything except a few flashes and outside of his original age?" Piccolo demanded to know.

"I'm sorry. I know you wish to know this. Please have patience with me."

He sat up straight so abruptly that he nearly knocked her off him. "Have patience? You wipe out my memories and your own son's, send him to a dangerous universe away from the people he loves, lied to him and me; and you have the gall to..."

"Please, Piccolo. I have missed you. I missed you so much. Please... let me..." She finished the sentence with a kiss. Piccolo, who was still excited by the events, suddenly found his brain in a fog as Gaea kissed him. He didn't know what came over him as he found himself kissing her back. Something he would have at some point in his life, never thought of doing.

The kiss lasted a long time, both warriors lost in their passion. It was a while when they finally broke apart.

"Wow!" Piccolo breathed. So this was what a kiss felt like.

"It has been a while." Gaea agreed, equally out of breath.

He tried to glare at her again, but it came only half-heartedly. "So tell me again why you didn't tell me I had a son?"

Gaea sighed, got up and sat on her throne. "Make yourself comfortable. This will take a while."

OoooOoooOoooOoooOoooO

"Alright, obviously, the queen wants to be left alone. You two should get back to check on Darien, Nephlite and I can take it from here." Machalite breathed after he and the others ran back to the gates of eternity.

"I'd feel more comfortable if one of us guarded the door though. Whether they had a child together matters not. This is a demon king with our queen! We don't know the first thing about him and he might harm her." Nephlite gasped as he took in his breath. Sometimes his queen could be almost as scary as a demon.

"Ahh, don't worry, Neph! Piccy may seem mean, but he's really a big ol' teddy bear on the inside. The queen's safe." Jedeite smirked.

"Oh really? Then kindly explain to me what that explosion outside had been earlier? And also where you got those nasty bruises?" Nephlite flatly asked as he surveyed the injured General.

"Eh heh heh, I might have made him a bit upset with me." He sheepishly smiled as he rubbed the back of his head.

"A bit? It's amazing that he didn't kill you, something I'm sorely disappointed in." Zoisite smirked maliciously.

Jedeite's smirk turned into an evil grin. "Say, Zoi? Why don't you go and spend a week with Piccolo? See how you like it? Maybe he'll develop a taste for girly-boy flesh."

"Bo---ys!" Machalite stressed the word out to indicate his impatience. "I think you have a job to do, remember?"

Jedeite and Zoisite both nodded their heads and stood up to head to the time gates. Nephlite eyed them thoughtfully before turning to Machalite.

"What has gotten into them? They've been at each others throat before, but now I think they're being downright ruthless."

Machalite sighed and closed his eyes. "Nephlite, have you been having nightmares lately after our reawakening?"

Nephlite's eyes widened. "I'm not sure what you mean, sir?" he mumbled as he looked away. Machalite chuckled humourlessly.

"Come now, Nephlite. I know for a fact that you have been dreaming of the death of Sailor Jupiter's death by your hands." He paused as he took in the look of agony in his face. "You were brainwashed. You couldn't have done anything to have stopped it anymore then I could have stopped myself from killing my Venus." He comforted. This time, Nephlite allowed anguish to enter his normally stoic face.

"You make it sound so easy to do. I wish I could do that, but I can't. I remember every attack I inflicted on her, every taunt, every torture, and every threat. I cannot forgive myself for it. I should have tried harder in fighting the brainwash, not succumb to it." He tried to control his heavy breathing. If he didn't calm down soon, he might breakdown. "But what does that have to do with the way those two have been behaving?"

"Everything, I'm afraid. You see, both Jedeite and Zoisite had been having the same nightmares as well."

"But that doesn't explain why……"

"Let me finish! Except the difference is that they did not kill their fiancées."

Nephlite blinked. They didn't kill their soul mates? But he knew they had died in their hands during the time of the silver millennium, so then why are they……. It suddenly hit him like lightning! "By the stars!" He swore with wide eyes. Machalite noticed the look of realization and nodded almost sadly.

"That's right; Jedeite attacked the planet Mercury while Zoisite went after Mars."

OoooOoooOoooOoooOoooO

Back in the Elysian Fields, Piccolo was patiently listening to Gaea as she explained to him the situation. Naturally, he was a bit confused with all this.

"You're telling me, that Darien has to pass four tests to be king of Earth, and if he fails, he won't get the throne? That this was something the council set up for him, even though none of the other royalties in your ancestry ever tried it?"

Well, yes." Gaea failed to mention that the council had wanted to banish him to an empty sub-space dimension. It wouldn't do to have him worry needlessly.

Piccolo frowned. He had the distinct feeling that Gaea had more to tell and was purposely giving him as little information as possible.

"Is there anything else you would like to tell me? Like why our son is engaged to your friend's daughter that's eight years older then him, why the council sees fit to test our son? Speaking of which, how exactly did we even get a son? I happen to know for a fact that I can't have children, at least not that way." He asked the last one with a slight blush on his face.

Gaea chuckled. "Has anyone ever told you that you look adorable when you blush? But putting that aside, I will answer the questions as best as I can." She smiled as the golden insignia of earth made its appearance on her forehead. "Firstly, our son is engaged to the moon princess, who is four years younger then him, because they are soul mates. Unlike my husband and me, they were destined to be together. One simply cannot live without the other. They have proven that time and time again in the many battles they have faced. To answer the Terran question, they feel that they have to test him due to his demonic nature, which they did not know until after his second rebirth. They felt that he may place the Earth into a state of 'living hell'. Originally, they had wanted to kill him, but I talked them out of it. I was the one to suggest the tests. It would at least give my son a fighting chance. And finally, you last question is…." She seemed to be in deep thought. Piccolo waited for her to answer until his impatience got the best of him.

"Gaea, you were saying?" Piccolo interrupted as he watched Gaea snap out of her thoughtfulness. Gaea gave him a grin that reminded him of Darien when he was up to something.

"I won't tell you."

"WHAT!!" He stood up from the floor and glared at her. She had some nerve denying him an explanation for the conception of his son. "And why the Hell not?!!"

Gaea smirked wickedly; apparently she enjoyed riling her soul mate up. "Instead of telling you, how about I show you. Would you like your memories back? I know Jedeite had already started to penetrate through the spell I made."

Piccolo looks away as he thinks about this. If he didn't take this chance, he might never find out what happened and how Darien was conceived. The memories might also explain why the 'Light' is after Darien. But, was he ready for the truth? Did he really want to know what happened all those years ago?

"The decision is yours, Piccolo. Do you wish to learn more about us, and what we meant to each other?" Gaea stated as she sat on the floor with her legs crossed. He looked deep into the eyes that reminded him so much of Darien and knew what his answer was.

"Yes. I want my memories back. I also want to learn more about you." He whispered the last part.

Gaea sighed. "Our memories together were wonderful and terrible. We had such bittersweet moments together. It will be painful. You and I had gone through many boundaries before we could ever admit our feelings. The fact that my responsibilities, my people's beliefs; as well as our laws have made it impossible for us to be together was part of the obstacle." She gave him a sad smile. "Your vendetta against Goku as well as your quest to take over the world also contributed to that."

He frowned as he remembered his evil days. "I'm not that person anymore."

Gaea smiled sweetly. "Well, I can obviously see that." She suddenly grabbed his hands and dragged him to another part of her palace, the area was growing darker and he felt a high level of energy from each room that he passed.

"Close your eyes and clear your thoughts, what you are about to receive are not only your lost memories, but a bit of my memories as well." She whispered a language that was far more ancient then even Latin and had her hands in a prayer.

Piccolo closed his eyes as he was engulfed in his and Gaea's hidden memories.

OoooOoooOoooOoooO

Many years ago, before the 23rd World Tournament, in a large, uninhabited forest...

Piccolo smirked as he felt her energy grow stronger, indicating that she was close.

_'Little wench, how dare she! She will pay for defying me and the humiliation that has been brought to me!' _He smirked when he thought of half the things he was going to do to her. He wanted her tortured and humiliated before he gave her the final blow. It was rare that he did that these days to humans and even rarer did he do that on a woman.

_'Well no, she is still more a girl then a woman. Nevertheless, she is powerful; I've never seen anyone like her before. How come I never sensed her on this planet?' _He thought. He was slightly confused, especially since she felt human and held no demonic power. He mused over this as he flew. Maybe...

"Of course! She must be Kami's avatar!" He shouted. It made perfect sense. The girl had said that she was Earth's champion and she seemed to know the Kami of Earth, when she had said she went to meet with him. That would explain why she was so strong, even for a girl.

_'But why a girl? All Kamis in the past have been men. Why would Kami choose the weaker sex?' _

He shrugged; he didn't know nor did he care, the girl would not live long enough to gain the mantle of guardian of Earth. He would see to that.

His smirk broadened when he felt her go to a full stop. 'Finally, I thought she'd never stop!' He flew full-speed toward her destination...

...And hid behind the bushes.

_'What the hell? Where did all that power come from? She didn't have that kind of power when she fought me. Unless...'_

_'Unless she held back when she was attacking me!'_ The thought made him growl. How dare this ... girl ... hold her power back when fighting the demon king? Well, he'd show her! He had been holding back, too. He never fought at his true strength with humans; the only exception would be Goku.

He watched her from the side and noticed a golden aura surround her body. There was an insignia on her head that looked like the sign of earth, which was blazing brighter then her body. The forest around her seemed to sway in her direction as if to caress her. Wild animals from deep within the forest came in and snuggled up to her. He even saw some monarch butterflies land on her head and shoulders. It was as if the Earth itself was giving her all that power.

"Just who are you?" He wondered. He had never seen that kind of power before. She couldn't be a normal human. He made sure he was well hidden in his hiding spot to investigate the young girl and find out more about her.

Of course, it was because he wanted to steal her power for his own. It had nothing to do with the fact that she intrigued him.

OoooOoooOoooOoooO

Gaea powered down from her senshi form and called upon the powers of Earth to enable her to transform into Queen Gaea. She sighed, sadly. She was still far too young to be Queen, but the King and Queen were dead and she couldn't leave the fate of the people in the hands of her ministry forever. Therefore, she was crowned and married immediately. Her responsibilities had quadrupled after that: she not only had to lead her people to fight off the Lunarians, but she also had the responsibilities of the Queen, something she left to her mother while she used her senshi powers to defend Earth . It was bad enough she had to deal with a power-hungry husband, a five-hundred year old war and people who were slowly starting to doubt the young queen's ability to rule. She had to also deal with the council, who wanted her to produce an heiress to the throne.

She shuddered; the thought of touching that bastard made her skin crawl, but she had to produce an heiress somehow. Unfortunately, no seed had blossomed yet.

Tears welled up in her light blue eyes. What was wrong with her? Why couldn't she produce an heiress? Her husband had blamed her for it and claimed that she was barren. She was slowly starting to believe it. The healers claimed that nothing was producing; she had even made sure she had chosen her 'wet' month of her womanhood to get her child. Alright, she often complained that she would rather die then have any child with her husband, but that didn't mean she didn't want children all together. It just wasn't fair!

She wiped her tears away and took deep calming breaths as she regained her regal expression. It simply wouldn't do to meet the Kami of the Earth this way. She had to show him she was a strong and capable warrior, not a weak-hearted human. Fixing her tiara and making sure she looked presentable, she made a throne appear. The throne was golden with many jewels incrusted in them the front-arms had the heads of lions on them the insignia of Earth was at the head of the throne. While waiting her thoughts went back to the Demon king called Piccolo.

_'Why didn't I just destroy him? He was going to kill them, anyway. I probably would have done this Earth a large favour by doing so. Nevertheless, this is not my world; therefore, I had no right to interfere in the first place. But still, he was going to murder those children.'_ It wasn't right, what he had tried to do! She had to intervene! If she had ignored it, she would have never forgiven herself for it. Besides, Beating up demons was a great way to relieve stress.

_'He was remarkable. Unlike the demons that I have fought in my career as Sailor Earth, he relied on skill rather then raw power. He was also quite eloquent and articulate. Quite unlike those stupid demons I have encountered on my own Earth. He actually succeeded in breaking my jaw! No one has ever done that to me in so long. It's a good thing I can heal very easily. But what should I do if he decides to pursue me?' _She became a bit thoughtful, it wouldn't be so bad to see him again, and he was somewhat cute. Her eyes widened again, what was wrong with her? Fine, he was very pleasing to the eyes, but she could not think such things. Demons were the natural enemies of Earth, soldiers of the Underworld. What did it matter that he was tall, well-muscled, and intelligent and had a smirk that made her weak in the knees... She was almost thankful that hot-white energy appeared in front of her, interrupting her thoughts.

Thankful, until she recognized the occupant of said 'white light'.

A young girl that looked about the same age as Gaea appeared with an air of calmness in her that would make even Piccolo lose most of his anger. (However, it did nothing to purge Gaea's fury.) She was about the same height and weight but that was where the similarities ended. She had her hair in twin bun pigtails. Her hair was white and silver that reached her ankles and her skin was, if possible, paler then Gaea's, almost snow-white. Her eyes made up for it, blue-grey eyes that held wisdom yet a newborn's innocence. She wore a long white dress that flowed down her body with silver lining all over it. Her forehead had a crescent moon birthmark that seemed to originate where the light had originally come from. On her back was a pair of transparent fairy wings that gave off a rainbow color. When she spoke, it was warm and friendly with a bell-like sound.

"Queen Gaea, what a pleasant surprise! What brings you to this dimension?"

"What in Hades are you doing here?" Gaea growled; Serenity's calming voice and aura having an opposite effect on her. Seeing the Moon Princess here made her power hit it's' peak. She pulled out a few blood-red roses that had many thorns on them. What was her ancient enemy doing here? Did she follow her?

Serenity smiled in the sweetest way, making no signs of acknowledging her threat. "I'm here because the Kami of Earth wanted my help. He asked me to come. Even though I am currently in the middle of a war, I simply cannot ignore those who cry for help." She replied.

"Impossible! I was called as well! Doesn't the Kami know we're enemies?"

"We don't have to be, you know. I'm sure you and I can be friends if you would just..."

"If I could just what, sell my soul and the souls of the people of Earth to your kingdom and serve you? I would sooner die then submit to the Moon, and I'm sure my people would agree with me on that." She snarled at the moon princess.

Serenity did not frown. Nor did she smile anymore. "I simply wish to purify you and your people of the chaos in your blood. It is the only way to attain peace and order. Your blood makes it impossible to obtain that due to the fact that Earth is a direct descendant of chaos. Your power is evil, like Saturn's. It stands against everything my family stands for. While we could not purify Saturn without killing them in the process, we did make sure that they would not use their power for evil."

"Oh really, how, by placing them in eternal sleep? By sealing their spells and making sure their only attack kills them in the process? I may find their powers dark and dangerous, but that does not mean that they, themselves, are evil. We do not make snap judgments about people and their abilities because it does not follow our ideals. That is what chaos is to us: A combination of positive and negative energy. You call it evil," She frowned. "But Earth calls it free will."

Serenity sighed as if she had heard this argument a thousand times. Finally, she looked at Gaea tiredly. "I did not come here to have this discussion. I came because the Kami of Earth has called for my help."

"No, he has called for my help."

"Actually, I have called for both of your help." A wise and deep voice interjected.

Both of them turned around to see a wizened green man with a staff step out of the shadows. They would have transformed if they had not noticed the sign of Kami on his chest.

"You are the Kami of Earth? You resemble that of that demon I fought not too long ago. Do all Earthlings of this Earth look like you?" Gaea asked, though she had seen the human children. Serenity looked at Kami with the same curiosity.

Kami blinked in surprise. "You met the Demon King Piccolo? And came here, unscathed?" He was now more relieved then ever. They may be able to help him with this threat.

Gaea smirked. "It was easy. The fool actually was of no real threat to me." She, of course, was lying. She was positive that he had been pulling his punches and it was only because she stalled him long enough to power up her Earth bomb that she was able to knock him down.

Serenity got down to business. "Please, tell us why you have contacted us. It is not everyday that guardians from another dimension actually call others for help, especially when the problems of this dimension are not ours and should be solved by the people."

Gaea normally didn't agree with the Lunarian, but even she felt that problems of other worlds couldn't be solved upon by those from other worlds. That would just cause many problems for them in the end and solve nothing in the end.

"We have a deadly enemy in our midst. They seem to have more power then I have ever seen and they have come for one purpose: To conquer Earth. So far, they have already taken hundreds of thousands of humans and the population is growing." Kami sighed as he remembered what state the villages were in when he looked down from the Lookout.

"I'm sorry to hear this. But as the Lunarian stated, the problems of this world are to be solved by your people. This has nothing to do with us!" Gaea felt inconvenient. She had other things to deal with and this temporary pause from the battle only stopped the inevitable war. Serenity nodded sadly in agreement.

"I cannot help you, either. The Supreme Kai and our predecessors agreed that we would not interfere in any of your wars or your power struggles. It would always end in disasters. I am sorry for your troubles, sir. We must leave now," She gave Gaea a significant look. "The Earth Queen and I have a war to finish."

"You seem to have misunderstood. You see, you are at fault for this trouble. So, it is your problem. Your problem, therefore, **you will fix it!**" Kami said with an annoyed tone in his voice.

"This is our fault?!" Gaea repeated, not sure whether to be amused by this or offended. She could see that he was not joking. While she could not recall what she may have done to this dimension, but she did not think she could ever interfere in a world that was not her own. Even that Lunarian, Princess Serenity, would not do anything to this dimension. She had to abide to the treaty that had existed since the dawn of time. She could not afford to break it lest she wished to openly defy the gods and risk their wrath.

"Yes, you see, whether it was by accident or not, you two violated the treaty. Because of this, I called upon you to fix it." Kami said, now looking business-like.

"Those are grave accusations, sir. What makes you think this is our fault?" Serenity asked gently, hoping that this was simply a misunderstanding.

Kami gave Serenity a withering look. "Tell me, when was the last time you have seen your elite soldiers, Serenity? I believe they call themselves 'the light'?"

OoooOoooOoooOoooOoooO

_'What the hell are they talking about? Who are these people, and who are 'the light'?'_ Piccolo thought, frustrated at not knowing what was going on. He had stayed hidden within the bushes to see what he was dealing with. This Serenity girl's power was equal (if possibly more) to that of Kami. Whether she was holding back or not, he had a feeling that she would be easier to deal with through manipulation. She (quite like Goku) seemed trusting and sweet, her aura was proof of that.

_'Her aura matches that of the Moon, just as Gaea's aura matches that of earth. Very interesting, but what does the old man have to do with this?'_ He thought as he continued to listen in the conversation. He'd have to be blind to not notice that Gaea and Serenity were not exactly friends, especially when it was mentioned that they were at war at each other. The conversation did also confirm that Gaea was royalty. It figured that he would pick a fight with a blue blood, especially one with battle experience on her belt. His thoughts went back to both girls as he tried to analyze them. He had to admit they were beautiful, by human standards, of course. Just because he was a demon did not mean he did not appreciate beauty when he saw it. He noted that Serenity appeared frail and delicate yet one can feel the great power within her. To him; she was soft, ethereal, with almost a celestial beauty.

But if he had a choice in beauty, he would have chosen the bold, dark, natural earthen beauty that was Gaea.

He frowned as he had listened in on their fight. Serenity reminded him of those idealistic, religious fanatics that used to chase him with holy water when he was a child. She apparently wanted Gaea to take the path of peace, but with a price. Gaea, like a true queen, refused to bow down to anyone, making her gain extra points in respect with Piccolo. She also didn't seem the type to be judgmental, another three-pointer. Then Kami showed up and she had the gall to make fighting him seem like child's play, making his anger for her grow. He was shocked to learn that they were from another dimension.

_'Maybe in that universe, she is the Queen of Earth. Moreover, judging from her attitude, she is at war with that girl. I can't believe she's leading a war; she can't be more then fourteen years old or less. She can't lead a battle, no matter how powerful she is.' _The thought of Gaea leading an army of soldiers while wearing that strange outfit was ...interesting, but pure fantasy. Still, where were her parents?

He blinked when he heard Kami talk about a new threat. He hadn't felt anything out of the ordinary, sure, he felt a tingle in the back of his head whenever he felt someone powering up, but that's natural with all those martial artists on Earth. He hadn't heard of any attacks, at least, none that would affect him in the long run. And Kami even said that it was their fault. He leaned forward to listen in further.

OoooOoooOoooOoooOoooO

Serenity gasped while Gaea snarled and proceeded to curse in a language that Kami was not familiar with. However, judging from the way Serenity was now looking at her, they were not exactly nice words.

"You do understand that they have been, as they call it, 'purifying' the people of Earth. I do not want them doing that, considering that we have a threat on the planet that may take advantage of them. I do not know how your world works but your ways don't belong here." Kami finished.

"But the 'light' are harmless. They only attack evil and help..." Serenity stopped when she received a glare from Kami.

"I do not care! They are on my planet, and how I run things are different from you. If I wanted to have world peace, I would do it my way. I do not need those so-called angels in my world. Get rid of them or I will contact the Supreme Kai, who will contact your gods and tell them what you are doing."

Gaea smirked. It was of no surprise to her that this was Serenity's fault. Nevertheless, she was a little shocked that the 'light' were here, deliberately breaking a treaty made by the Serenity line. Either the little Moon princess was a very good liar (highly unlikely) or somewhere along the line, Serenity lost control of her own soldiers.

_'You can almost cut the irony with a butter knife.'_ She thought with glee.

She hated 'the light'. Not only were they a bunch of hypocritical, tyrannical, preaching, self-absorbed winged freaks with a major messiah-complex (like a certain Lunarian she knew) but they had an ability that made them even more dangerous then all the sailor scouts combined: they could release the negative energy from any living being.

Now most people would think that it was a good thing. Sure, when that happened there would be no wars, violence and hatred. All would be at peace and in harmony. No, scratch that, there would be no harmony. The balance would be destroyed. She, like her predecessors before her, believed that without chaos, existence would cease to be. To her and the Terrans, Chaos was more then the opposing force of order and at the same time, the attracting force. To her and her people, Chaos was power, power enriched by the heart. (1) It allowed people to invent things, (some good and some bad), it allowed martial artists to do the impossible and create new techniques for their fighting art. It caused them to learn both white and black magic to help humanity or to cause trouble. But most of all, it was the very thing that made everyone different, rather then the same. To Gaea, Chaos was the very essence in her element: souls.

The creatures of the Moon did not see it like that. To them, it started wars, made evil villains, attracted demons and just made a big mess. While that was true, Gaea believed that you had to take the bad with the good. Purifying would leave everyone almost dead, an empty shell of their former selves. As ruler of Elysian Fields, Gaea had seen what purifying had done to them. They had half of a soul and seemed in eternal torment without their other. It was not a pretty sight to behold, which is why she refused to have anything to do with the Lunarians. If the other planets wanted to be purified, fine with her. If they wanted to do this to their people, who was she to judge, let them realize their mistake in heaven. But no one will do that to Earth. Her ancestors had worked for centuries to prevent the moon from affecting their planet. So far, no one was winning and they only built more casualties from it all. Gaea would love to have peace on her planet, but everyone knew that Lunarians did not negotiate. They believed that their way was the right way and they would bring peace in the solar system no matter what the consequences.

Gaea bowed at her waist. "Worry not, Kami of earth. While I do not know how I am at fault in this, I will help and destroy the soldiers. You have my word as a guardian and Queen." She stood up tall and threw her hand up shouting:

"EARTH CELESTRIAL POWER!"

Once again, Gaea's clothes disappeared in a flash of golden light and golden ribbons were hugging her body. When the flash died out, she was back in her Sailor Senshi mode. Serenity, seeing that she was staying after all, sighed and shouted:

"MOON ETERNAL POWER!"

In addition to a flash of white light, the audience also saw white feathers flow around her. Her outfit was similar to that of Sailor Earth's except she had three different layers of mini-skirts of yellow, red and blue. Her top had puffy pink sleeves with a white ribbon on it where a large star broach sat on her chest emitting a strange power. Her long white gloves had a red strips on her wrists and around her neck was a Red Crescent chocker. She did not have a tiara on her head, but she did have pearls all over her silver/lavender hair. The crescent birthmark glowed brighter then ever. On her back were even larger and more powerful-looking fairy wings.

Sailor Earth fumed. She just had to reach her eternal form. It just wasn't fair that Serenity had this much power!

"Since this situation is beyond my control; I will speak to king Yamma about the situation, who will no doubt tell king Kai of the north about this. Hopefully, they will allow this alliance for now."

Piccolo's eyes had widened when he saw Gaea and Serenity transform, leaving them nude temporarily before getting a skin-tight bodysuit with an incredibly short mini-skirt. He took note that Serenity's outfit and power was different from Gaea's and assumed that Serenity's outfit was more powerful then hers. They were obviously going to stay now, but what to do about the so-called light?

He had to get rid of them, somehow. He could not afford to have 'saviours' here while he tried to rule Earth. It would just bring too much aggravation in his life.

Piccolo eyed Eternal Sailor Moon as she flew off along with Kami and took note that Sailor Earth was heading towards the woods. Smirking, he decided to follow her. He would personally question her about the 'light' and when she tells him enough; he would put her through hell before sending her there. Standing up, he focused on her ki and sped towards her.

Sailor Earth had felt Piccolo's presence before Kami had shown up, thanks to the planet itself. She knew what he wanted and had feint ignorance so she could decide on what to do with him. The 'light' was her first priority, but the demon king could prove to be a bother if he wasn't dealt with soon. She had originally thought of vanquishing him when an idea had hit her! Why not use him to draw out the 'light'? They sensed evil presences and they would have to purify him. Naturally, since demons thrive on darkness, the process would wipe him out from existence. In addition, during that time, she would destroy the 'light' with her golden crystal.

_'Kill two birds with one stone, as the old saying goes.' _She thought with a tiny giggle. She giggled a bit louder when she felt his energy draw nearer. Using the powers of earth; she hid herself behind the elemental powers of nature, waiting for her time to strike.

Piccolo looked at the spot where Sailor Earth should have been, only to find it empty. He then felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around to see who had approached him when his nose suddenly exploded with pain and he collapsed unceremoniously on the grass.

Many decades from now, Piccolo would faintly remember seeing a white gloved fist impact his face.

Gaea glanced down at the unconscious demon king while she rubbed her hand. What was this demon made of, steel? She picked his legs up and proceeded to drag him to a tree. She wished then that she had the Jovian princess' infamous strength; it would make life so much easier. She then proceeded to strip him of his cape to allow her to tie his hands and feet to the great oak in front of her. She suddenly regretted it when she saw his shoulders and muscles. Piccolo was definitely a warrior and not some energy demon. She had barely noticed that she was slightly feeling his chest. What in Heaven and Gaea have gotten into her? He was a demon king for goodness sake, not some brave warrior from a fairytale her mother used to tell her. There was no reason for her to eye him like a bar wench; she was a queen and a Sailor scout, after all.

Calming her thoughts, she stood him up and held him on the tree. She then cut the cape into strips and used them to tie him up. Using the golden crystal, she enchanted the cloth to hold Piccolo. She did not feel bad at all in what she was doing to him. She was a soldier, a warrior first before she was even a queen. The war had taught her many things. One of the harsh things that it had taught her was that there were no rules in battles.

Besides, she had the feeling that if the situation were reversed, Piccolo would not only do the same thing, but would maniacally laugh while doing it. Well, not maniacally, but he would probably enjoy himself.

'Now to wait until he wakes up. After all, the 'light' can't sense his spirit if he's unconscious.' She couldn't help but sigh wistfully.

"Too bad you had to be evil. You really are cute."

OoooOoooOoooOoooOoooO

(1) I was playing sonic adventure during my Hiatus.

Oh dear, Piccolo is in trouble! But he won't be for long. Will Gaea ever fall for him? Will Piccolo take this sitting down? What made the 'light' become out of control? Find out in the next exciting chapter of 'His Path'.

Well, it has been a long time people. So sorry, I'll try to update more often. (If school hasn't killed me yet.) Anyway, on the next chapter of 'His Path', we see Darien preparing to leave Earth with Vegeta, Trunks, Goten and his Guardians. During their training, we see the true power of the guardians as well as the 'light'. People who shouldn't be here are being seen by the Z-fighters. Sailor Moon is here? Jedeite and Zoisite are intent on killing each other? And what's wrong with Darien? Is he ……. dying?

Before we get to my sister's interview, I was asked by a reviewer if it was okay if I got rid of the American names and gave everyone in this story their Japanese names. I have no problem with changing it since he was nice enough to give me a website that had their names, but do you, the readers want me to do that, since I'll be revising this story anyway?

And now, for the interview that we all hoped for (and dreaded): The interview with Piccolo Daimao, the demon king of Earth and Hell, and the father of Piccolo.

**Interview with a Defunct and Has-Been Demon King**

Piccolo Daimaō: Has-been?! If you don't change that title, not only will you not have an interview but those weak appendages you call arms will be summarily yanked from their sockets.

Dude: O.O

Alex Damioh: Change the damn title, Dude!

**Interview with the World's Most Feared and Respected Demon King**

Piccolo Daimao: Much better.

Alex Damioh: Great. Now that you're cooperating, why don't we start the interview?

Dude: Uhhh, is Piccolo stronger than you?

Piccolo Daimao: What a stupid question! That incompetent son of mine's lost his strength after losing the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai to a complete idiot. I actually depended on him to restore the demon name to its former glory, and he can't even do that. In fact, he failed miserably. Damn him! Correction: Bless him! Let him go to heaven with his goody-goody friends. He won't step a foot in Hell as long as I'm--------

Alex Damioh: Obviously you're very upset by your son's actions. How do you feel about him loving Gaea?

Piccolo Daimao: Well, I actually hoped that he was trying to redeem himself by pretending to love her so he could _finally_ rule the world. But obviously………..Ugh. Obviously he is ……….infatuated……….. with her.

Alex Damioh: Or not. It could be a part of his plan.

Piccolo Daimao: (glares) Don't toy with me, human! The only thing great about her is that she helped produce a beautiful grandson. Beautifully evil, that is. Unfortunately, his real nature is clouded by Piccolo's goody-goody genes.

Alex Damioh: Actually, Darien is more like his mom; his demon personality comes from Piccolo's side.

Piccolo Daimao: Hmph! I didn't think he had any demon left in him.

Alex Damaio: Well, you're mostly to thank for this. You're the sire of the whole 'demon pathos' thing.

Dude: Is this over yet? I think our Goku needs to use the bathroom.

Piccolo Daimao: (looks at Goku who is continuously jumping up and down with one hand holding his groin and the other holding the camera.) What? Goku! You're dead! (Powers up which causes objects around him to disintegrate)

Alex Damioh: Oh no! The set!


End file.
